


The Correction of Time

by mrsblack0905



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Kidnapped Hermione Granger, Pureblood Hermione Granger, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:07:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 57,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsblack0905/pseuds/mrsblack0905
Summary: Hermione Granger is not who she always thought she was. Kidnapped as a young child and thrust forward in time, she grew up as a muggleborn. Now an enemy becomes her savior and she is sent back to make things right. Who can she trust? Can she fix everything before it's too late?
Relationships: Regulus Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 302
Kudos: 682





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to The Correction of Time. This is my take on time travel and Pureblood Hermione. Hermione is one of my favorite characters in the whole series and I have so much fun putting her in many different scenarios. I have another Hermione centric story I am working on as well, so updates for both are sporadic (really just depending on when my muse decides to work). Fair warning the prologue and first few chapters are fairly short, but I promise they do get longer and more exciting so please bear with me. The first fourteen chapters are written so expect weekly updates for a while, but then they will become more sporadic as I stated previously. Anyway...please enjoy The Correction of Time.
> 
> Disclaimer: As I am not JK Rowling or Warner Brothers I own absolutely nothing.

She had lost them. She couldn't believe she had lost them. The three of them had been running to the Shrieking Shack to find Nagini when Rabastan Lestrange cut her off from her two best friends. Now she was stuck dueling a Death Eater instead of helping Harry destroy one of the last Horcruxes. So focused on fighting to stay alive, she couldn't even begin to think about how they would destroy the final Horcrux. Hermione was fighting with all she had, determined to bring down one of Voldemort's inner circle but he was a formidable opponent and he was backing her out of the courtyard, away from all of the fighting.  
  
"Give it up, little girl. You're never going to beat me," he taunted as they continued to move away from the battle.  
  
He glanced over his shoulder to see if there was anybody behind them and she knew this was her chance to gain the upper hand. She sent a disarming spell and a stunner, one right after the other, but both hit a shield charm he must have cast wandlessly and bounced right off. Her shock gave him a split second advantage and he hit her with a body bind. Rabastan hurried over to her as he reached into his robes and pulled out a vial.  
  
"What are you going to do to me? I will fight you with everything I have!" The curly-haired witch screamed at him.  
  
As he got closer to her though, he didn't look as if he was going to hurt her, he looked…..scared. Terrified, in fact.  
  
He kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure nobody saw them and then put up a strong Notice Me Not. Hermione noticed he now had unstoppered the vial and grabbed her face.  
  
"Drink this. Now!" He ordered her.  
  
"No! I will not allow you to kill me easily!"  
  
He didn't have the time for her to fight him. He gripped her chin and forced her mouth open, poured the potion in, and held her mouth closed so she couldn't spit it out. He immediately began to see the slight changes to her; transforming her from the eighteen-year-old she was to her sixteen-year-old self.  
  
"What did you do to me? What did you force on me?" She was screaming at him.  
  
He didn't have much time left. He pulled out his wand and began to undo the glamours placed on her. Her screams tore through the air as the long term glamours that had been a part of her all her life were ripped from her core. The witch's hair changed from chocolate brown to jet black, her eyes from brown with flecks of amber to a deep hazel, and her body was forced to grow a few inches which thinned the already malnourished witch even more.  
  
Her screams turned to sobs. "What are you doing to me? Please! Tell me!" She begged him.  
  
"My time is almost up. You don't belong here. You can change everything though. Save us all. Save me." The Death Eater uncharacteristically begged her.  
  
Still sobbing but unable to move, she cried out. "I don't understand!"  
  
Rabastan stood up and pointed his wand at her once more. "You may not understand, but you will. _In Tempore Pacatum._ "  
  
A blinding white light left his wand and hit Hermione Granger in the middle of her chest before she could say anything else. Then her world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

James Potter's life had been a charmed one. He had amazing parents, three of the best friends he could have ever asked for, and the girl he had been in love with since he was eleven years old had finally agreed to go out with him at the beginning of the year.

There wasn't much the Marauder could ask for, except for one thing: Charlotte, his baby sister. He had only been five when she had been kidnapped, so he didn't remember much about her, but he remembered how much he loved her and how heartbroken his parents had been when their four-year-old baby girl vanished without a trace. It had been twelve years since Charlotte disappeared, and while the Aurors had declared her legally dead after five years, the Potter family still held out hope she would one day return to them.

It wasn't often James thought about Charlotte anymore—it hurt too much—but typically around major events, he couldn't help but wish she were there to celebrate with him. With his graduation soon, as well as his plans to propose to his girlfriend Lily, he was feeling her absence even more lately.

So as James walked around the Black Lake late at night on May 1st, under his invisibility cloak, thinking about how he was going to propose to Lily, he came to the conclusion that it was time for him to lay his sister to rest. Not wanting to feel as if he is constantly waiting anymore, he decided to say goodbye to Charlotte, knowing that she would always be with him in spirit.

Upon realizing how late it was getting—or actually how early, he guessed—James quickly made his way back to the castle. He was cutting through the clearing behind the greenhouses when a brilliant white light blinded him. It was a few moments before his vision cleared and he could see through the darkness once more and what he saw had him scrambling into action.

Laying barely five feet in front of him, unconscious, was a bloodied and bruised girl. He rushed over, knelt down next to her, and began to try and revive her.

"Enervate!" James shouted, not caring if somebody heard him.

The thin, almost emaciated girl, began to stir and groan. "Uuuhhh….." the girl muttered and slowly opened her eyes to see a head of messy black hair and glasses, "Harry, what happened?"

"Miss, miss...are you okay? My name is James. No no no, you can't go back to sleep. You may have hit your head. Come on stay with me!" He exclaimed as the unknown girl, who couldn't be older than fifteen, maybe sixteen, started to drift back into unconsciousness. The more he looked at her though the more familiar she seemed to him, but he couldn't tell through the heavy darkness of the night.

"Everything hurts. Harry, make it stop. I want to go back to sleep now," she mumbled as her eyes close.

"Come on now, none of that. My name is James, not Harry. I need to get you to the Hospital Wing. It may hurt, me picking you up, but I promise I'll make it stop soon." James was now frantic. He didn't know who the witch was, or how she got onto Hogwarts grounds, but she was clearly not a danger at the moment. Tucking his wand into his pocket, he scooped up the girl silently horrified at how light she was—before racing back to the castle as fast as his long legs could carry him.

On the way, the witch fully lost consciousness but he couldn't be bothered to try and revive her again. Despite the fact she might have had a concussion and probably shouldn't sleep, she was clearly in a lot of pain, so he wanted to get her to Madam Pomfrey as quickly as possible.

James finally burst into the deserted Hospital Wing, shouting for the mediwitch as he deposited the small witch on a bed.

A bleary-eyed, Madam Pomfrey made her way out of her office while wrapping her dressing gown around herself, "Mr. Potter? What is going on? What happened?"

She lit a few lamps with a flick of her wand before turning to face the Head Boy. Before he could respond to her inquiries, she caught sight of the unconscious witch on the bed. Without further ado, she pushed James out of the way as she started to run diagnostic spells on her newest patient.

"Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey called, "Mr. Potter!" The older witch repeated herself when there wasn't a response. She turned around to see the young man just staring at the girl with a pained look in his eyes. "Mr. Potter, you need to pay attention. Now!" She snapped her fingers in his face to get his focus.

"Sor-sorry. What did you ask?"

"I need to know what happened. Who is she? Where did you find her? Any details, please."

"She's….I don't know who she is, but she looks—feels—familiar. I found her outside, though. I was out by the lake and walking back inside when there was a bright flash of light, and she was just there. She woke up for a minute asking about somebody named Harry before she passed out again."

"The fact that you were deliberately breaking curfew will be addressed later, however, right now please go wake Professor Dumbledore and bring him here." The mediwitch instructed him to do as she returned to diagnosing and healing the witch.

James paused, not wanting to leave—feeling the need to keep her in his sights at all times—but, after a few moments, he turned and ran out of the Hospital Wing. The sooner he woke Professor Dumbledore, though, the sooner he could get back to the mysterious witch. Halfway to the headmaster's office, he ran into Professor Dumbledore as well as his head of house, Professor McGonagall — the latter giving him a very stern and disappointed look.

"Professors," he addressed, slightly out of breath, "Madam Pomfrey sent me to get you, Headmaster. It's urgent!"

With a twinkle in his eye, Albus Dumbledore greeted the young man. "Good evening, Mr. Potter. May I ask what is so urgent? We currently have another matter that we must attend to."

"I found a girl; she's in really bad shape. I brought her to Madam Pomfrey, but we don't know who she is. She just….appeared on the grounds near the greenhouses."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and addressed her student, "And just what was the Head Boy doing so far out of bounds?"

With a sigh, James admitted, "I was walking back to the castle from the lake when I found her; I have no excuse for my behavior. Take points later. Please, we need to hurry." And with that, James turned around and flew back down the hallway, trusting that his two professors were behind him. Once back in the Hospital Wing, James took a seat right next to the occupied bed and didn't plan to move for the rest of the night.

Madam Pomfrey had finished her work for the time being and decided to speak with Albus and Minerva trying to coerce the Head Boy back to his dorms could wait. "Her tests show most of her injuries are superficial—cuts and bruises mostly—but she is also severely malnourished, as well as magically exhausted. I don't know what happened, but it seems as if her magical core has recently gone through a very large and sudden change. There are also traces of dark magic used on her; the Cruciatus Curse as well as a few others." Before she could continue, the normally stoic mediwitch paused to choke back a few tears.

"What else, Poppy?" The headmaster gently asked.

"Scars. She has a few nasty ones. One down her chest and another on her forearm; you will have to see that one for yourself."

"Do you have any idea who she is or where she came from?" Minerva questioned her old friend and colleague.

"None at all."

"She is definitely not a student here. I woke up Minerva once I felt the wards shift around the school. Somebody Apparated onto school grounds," the old headmaster began to explain.

Madam Pomfrey interrupted, "That's impossible, Albus."

With a slight chuckle, he continued, "Quite, but that is what happened. Minerva and I were on our way outside to check the grounds when young Mr. Potter accosted us."

"What should we do? We can't just leave an unknown girl in the school. She could be dangerous!" Minerva reasoned.

Again Albus chuckled, a slight twinkle in his eye. "I highly doubt that Minerva, but you are right. I trust Poppy has already removed her wand from her person until such a time that we can figure out who she is and where she came from. Until then, let her sleep and heal. We will all still be here tomorrow." The headmaster then looked over to see James Potter slumped in a chair, asleep. "And let Mr. Potter sleep for now. Based on his actions earlier, I don't believe he could be persuaded back into his room tonight."

After a few more minutes of briefly discussing theories on the curly-haired witch, the headmaster and transfiguration professor left to head back to bed, while Madam Pomfrey levitated the sleeping seventh year into the bed next to her patient before she headed back into her office to sleep for a few more hours.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this update. I already have the first 14 chapters written (and they are also on FanFiction.net) but I wanted to let everybody know that I will be updating here once a week. This will give me time to work on the next chapter and hopefully there won't be any lag updating on here. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you all continue to enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter and Wizarding World universe.

Over the years, Hermione Granger spent more time in the Hospital Wing than she cared to admit; being best friends with the Boy Who Lived came with its hazards, but despite this, she wouldn't change a thing. She found in Harry the brother she never had, and he was the only family she had left. So it came as no surprise to her as she woke up that she was once again lying in a bed in the Hospital Wing, a moment when the fog of sleep cleared she remembered. The battle, losing Harry and Ron, fighting Rabastan. Hermione then sat up quickly, too quickly, and groaned clutching her spinning head.

"Here drink this."

The curly-haired witch looked up to see Madame Pomfrey with a tray of potions, holding what looked like a pain potion.

"Oh, Madame Pomfrey! Thank god you're okay. What happened? Is the battle over? Do you know where Harry and Ron are?" Hermione fired off questions to the mediwitch in rapid succession before looking around the room to see only the bed next to her occupied, but unable to see the face as he is lying on his stomach turned away from her bed. "Why is it so empty? How long was I out for?"

The confused mediwitch observed the young witch for a moment. "Please. I insist you take all of your potions before any questions are answered, and going forward will you please tell me your name so I know what to call you."

It was now Hermione's turn to be confused. "My name? Madame Pomfrey, it's Hermione Granger. You've known me for seven years. Are you okay?"

"Well Miss Granger I can guarantee you we've never met, and until the headmaster arrives I can not answer any of your questions, though I can assure you I am quite well." Madame Pomfrey informed her patient as she sets down the tray of potions on the table next to the bed. "Now please finish all of these potions. There is a pain potion, a nutrient potion, a very mild invigoration draught to help with some of the exhaustion, as well as a potion to help heal some of your internal injuries. I'll go inform the headmaster that you're awake." With that, she swept out of the room before Hermione could utter another word.

After a moment of hesitation, Hermione downed all of the vials in quick succession, she found it easier to deal with the awful taste if she got it over with quickly, and then contemplated her current predicament. She wondered for a brief moment if she had died but that would mean Madame Pomfrey was dead as well and even then the mediwitch would know Hermione, after all, she had been treating Hermione for years. Then she remembered Rabastan forcing her to drink a potion and wondered if it altered her appearance so she wouldn't be recognized, but again that didn't account for Her not even knowing the name Hermione Granger.

"Hey! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

The sudden noise startled Hermione out of her thoughts and she realized the other occupant of the room had woken. At first glance she thought it was Harry but before she could say anything the differences between this boy and her best friend were clear. The most noticeable difference was the eyes; the startling emerald green that defined Harry was absent, in addition to the missing lightning bolt scar, and Hermione noticed this boy's jaw was slightly sharper than Harry's.

"Excuse me…miss? Are you okay? Do you want me to get Madame Pomfrey?" The boy questioned, slightly concerned as the girl simply stared at him without showing any sign that she heard him.

"Oh,er...sorry. No, Madame Pomfrey already gave me some potions. I believe she said she was going to get the headmaster. Who are you?"

The boy threw her a relaxed smile before sticking out his hand. "James Potter at your service. And what may I ask is your name?"

At the introduction, Hermione's eyes went wide. Maybe she was dead after all. What other explanation could there be? She was saved from having to answer by the arrival of one Albus Dumbledore, and her eyes went wider if that was even possible.

"Ah! Mr. Potter, you're awake as well. Good. Perhaps you should head down to the Great Hall for breakfast while we speak with our patient here," he suggested, his blue eyes twinkling as they always do. "After you may join us back here so we can discuss your role in the events of last night."

"Are you sure sir? I don't mind staying to give my account now. The lady here may need moral support as well." James countered, clearly not wanting to leave just yet.

The headmaster chuckled, "I am quite sure. Your account can wait, plus I believe your friends will most likely be looking for you, and while I'm sure the events from last night will make their way around the school, we don't need anybody peeking in here just yet."

Clearly knowing there was no point in arguing with the headmaster, James quickly informed the witch that he would be back to visit her soon and then left to get ready for the day.

After the head boy left, Dumbledore silently locked the door and placed some privacy wards around them, ensuring nobody would potentially overhear them.

"Now, Madame Pomfrey informed me that you seem to know her Miss Granger, so perhaps you could shed some light on your arrival? Hogwarts wards are supposed to be impenetrable yet you seemed to be able to apparate on the grounds."

Hermione bit her lip unsure of where to begin. She was convinced of one of two things. Either she was dead or somehow she had gone back in time. She didn't see any other explanation, and despite the complications that time travel could cause, she really hoped that was the case since she did not want to be dead. Perhaps the headmaster would be able to answer some of her questions first before she revealed any information.

"Headmaster, could you please tell me the date before I answer any other questions?"

Slightly shocked at the unusual question, the headmaster answered, "May 2nd my dear, and why would you need to know the date?"

"And the year?" Hermione continued to press.

Understanding dawned on the older wizard, "1978. Poppy, why don't you give Miss Granger and I a few moments alone to discuss her circumstances."

"Really headmaster, I can only allow you a few moments. My patient still needs quite a bit of rest and recuperation." The mediwitch protested.

With the twinkle in his eye Hermione had missed seeing in her headmaster's eye over the past year, he smiled at Madame Pomfrey, "Of course Poppy. I would never dream of coming between you and your patients. I will let you know as soon as we are finished."

With a huff, Madame Pomfrey stalked back to her office and closed the door.

Turning back to the witch lying in the bed, Dumbledore resumed his penetrating stare. "So I assume by your question you are not from this time."

"That would be correct sir. I'm from 1998. I was at Hogwarts, there was a battle. My friends and I….we were separated. A death eater cornered me and forced me away from the fighting. Everything is a little fuzzy but I remember he forced a potion on me and a spell that felt like he was ripping out my magic. Then another spell and a bright light. Next thing I know I'm waking up here."

Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle and his face was grave. "Twenty years and there is still fighting. This war won't end anytime soon then."

"Well...it will stop for a while, but he comes back. We were so close to winning too. I need to get back. I need to help." Hermione begged.

"Now Miss Granger, calm down. We don't want Madame Pomfrey to come out here and berate me for upsetting one of her patients. Unfortunately, I don't know of a way to send you back. Time turners only go backward and you must wait for time to catch up with itself, not to mention I've never heard of a time turner going back more than a few hours."

"I know. I've used a time-turner before."

"You have?" Dumbledore is clearly shocked by this revelation.

"Yes. My third year. I had special permission to use it to take extra classes." Hermione informed him proudly, despite that it had turned out to be somewhat of a disaster, though she had been able to help save Sirius.

"Well, then you know the time turner option is out. Though I doubt that would have helped anyway seeing as you didn't come back with a time turner but with a spell. Do you perhaps remember the spell?"

Hermione scrunched up her face in concentration. The past few months had been fuzzy for her. Between her encounter with Bellatrix, breaking in and out of Gringotts, the battle, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her had been intense. She knew though she needed to remember…..it was the only way to get home. "It's a blur. It's been an…..intense few months. He said 'in...in Tempore….in Tempore something'. I'm sorry. I can't remember the whole spell."

Dumbledore smiled at her, "It's quite alright my dear. I am sure it will come to you eventually. In the meantime what you have remembered will give me a start in research. I have quite an extensive library that will help. I will compile a list of spells and maybe one will jump out at you. Now I better let Madame Pomfrey come out and check on you. For the time being, I suggest you stay here. Unfortunately, we can not close the Hospital Wing, NEWTs and OWLs are approaching and too many people may be in need of Madame Pomfrey. I implore you, however, not to reveal to anybody your origins until we can figure out exactly what happened."

"Of course headmaster. Thank you for your help. I know I can't reveal anything about the future but...it's good to see you again. It has been a long time for me."

Dumbledore hesitated. What could have happened to this girl that simply seeing her old headmaster could elicit such a reaction. "Thank you, Miss Granger. The sentiment is appreciated."

Dumbledore then turned away and went to retrieve the mediwitch before sweeping out of the Hospital Wing and back to his office to begin his research.

Madame Pomfrey bustled over to her patient muttering, "Of course Albus would feel as if getting information is more important than the health of my patients. Now Miss Granger, is there anything you can tell me about any of your injuries? You are quite malnourished as well. You will need to be on a regimen of nutritional and vitamin potions. And no heavy foods until your appetite has returned. I'll have the elves send up some broth for you. As for your scars, there is nothing I can do to heal them, unfortunately."

"It's okay. I know about the scars. I've already tried removing them but they were caused by dark magic. Nothing has helped. As for other injuries I've experienced, they are mostly healed. I know I still have some tremors from the…" Hermione paused, "I suffered under the Cruciatus Curse for quite some time." She finished in a small voice.

Madame Pomfrey gazed at her sympathetically. "It's alright my dear. We will deal with those as they come. Now can you tell me how you've become so underfed?"

"It's just been a long few months. I've been in hiding. Food was scarce. We ate what we could find. Broth and maybe some bread would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course. I'll have the elves send some up now and let you rest. I'm going to draw the curtains to prevent anybody who stops by from staring." Madame Pomfrey gave her one last sad smile before sweeping back into her office.

Not a minute later, a steaming bowl of broth and warm bread appeared by her bedside and she immediately dove into the food. The little she was able to eat at Aberforth's seemed ages ago at this point, even though it was less than 24 hours for her.

"Woah! Slow down there before you choke." A voice interrupted her thoughts.

Hermione turned toward the end of her bed where she saw James Potter standing. "What are you doing here?"

Confused, James responded. "I told you I'd be back after breakfast."

"Yes, but I didn't think you actually would. Don't you have a class or something?"

"Well, yes but you're more important. Plus it's all review at this point for NEWTs."

"I'm more important? You don't even know me. You can go. I'll be fine. I'll probably go back to sleep after I'm done eating anyway." Hermione dismissed him, needing him to get as far away from her as possible. It's one thing knowing Harry's father was alive and not do anything to save him, but to have him in such close proximity, well…..she may be able to see the differences between the two but they still looked way too much alike for her comfort. She didn't think she could spend any significant amount of time with the man before breaking down and telling him everything. That he and Lily will get married and have the most beautiful baby boy ever, who would grow up into the best man Hermione will ever know, and then in only three short years they will put their trust in the wrong person and both he and his wife will lay their lives down for their son. No, she couldn't do that. Awful things happen to people who mess with time. And since she can't change the future, she needed James Potter as far away from her as possible.

While lost in her thoughts, James continued to stare at the witch and contemplated why he felt she was so important. "I know I don't know you but I feel as if I do. You seem familiar, you feel familiar. I can't explain it, but I feel this need to make sure you're okay. So until I can explain that feeling, you're stuck with me."

Hermione groaned. Clearly Harry came by his stubbornness honestly. "James. Please. I'm hungry and exhausted. I would just like to eat in peace and then sleep."

James simply sat down in the chair next to her bed and pulled out a textbook. "That's fine. I won't bother you. I am supposed to be in class so I'll just sit here and review."

As the messy-haired man began to read, Hermione stared at him. Either he couldn't take a hint or chose to ignore her wishes, she wasn't completely sure, but he could be quite annoying.

"You're staring. I thought you said you were hungry?" James said as he smirked still reading his book. "If you want to talk I can study later, but you really should make up your mind."

"You're quite annoying you know that?" Hermione scowled.

"I know."

With a huff, Hermione decided to simply ignore him. She would eat and then sleep and hopefully by the time she woke up he would be gone.

The two sat in silence, one eating and the other reading, and before long Hermione couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She moved the tray with the now-empty bowl back to the table beside her bed and laid down beneath the covers once more.

At her movement, James glanced over at the black-haired witch. "Are you okay? Did you have enough to eat? Do you need any more pillows or blankets?"

Hermione sighed with exasperation. "I am fine. You can go. I don't need you here. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore are taking excellent care of me."

Unsure of what to do, James paused. He really didn't want to leave her but she clearly didn't want him here. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, and then I'll leave. But I reserve the right to come back and check on you. After all, I was the one who found you, I think I deserve to know how you're recovering."

"I'm not going to get you to agree to just forget about last night and move on am I?"

"Nope. Not a chance. Take it or leave it."

Hermione groaned. "Fine. Stay until I fall asleep but then please leave. And I'll tell Professor Dumbledore to let you know how I'm doing if you just stay away from the Hospital Wing. Now he quiet. I'm trying to sleep."

With that, she rolled over so her back was to the Head Boy and closed her eyes, asleep within minutes, she hoped that was the last she ever had to see of James Potter.


	4. Chapter 4

James Potter left the Hospital Wing not actually planning on going to the Great Hall as his headmaster suggested. He didn't think he could face everybody just yet or explain what happened the previous night. Normally he talked through everything with his best friends, but this was something he needed to work through on his own. He simply wasn't ready to share the mysterious girl yet. Though he wasn't sure she was all that mysterious. He felt as if he knew her; she felt….familiar. He was protective over her in a way he couldn't describe. Not in the same way he felt about Lily, nobody could compare to how he felt about his Lily-flower, but more….something. It seemed as if the word was just on the tip of his tongue, he just couldn't reach it quite yet.

Maybe, though, he didn't need to keep her completely to himself. He always had a close relationship with his parents, and they've always been able to help him make sense of things. Hell, he told his parents he wanted to propose to Lily before he even told Sirius. His mother even helped him pick out her ring. Maybe they would be able to make sense of this pull he felt towards the witch.

So instead of making his way to the Great Hall, he headed to the Owlery to write to his parents. As soon as his owl, Geronimo, was off with the instructions to get the letter to the elder Potters as fast as he can, James rushed to his dorm to shower quickly and grab his school bag before popping into the kitchens for a light snack, and then headed back to the Hospital Wing as he promised earlier. Unfortunately what he got when he arrived was a teenaged witch in absolutely no mood for company.

Though she didn't want the company, he adamantly refused to let her out of his sight. So instead they came to a compromise that he would leave once she fell asleep. What she didn't know was he had no intention of leaving whatsoever. He had his invisibility cloak with him and was not above spying on the younger witch if it kept her safe. If she found out, she could hate him for it later, but at least he would have his own peace of mind.

To pass the time, the messy-haired marauder revised for his upcoming NEWTs. He really shouldn't be skipping his classes, but he truly believed this was more important. Before he knew it though it was already lunchtime and he heard the doors to the Hospital Wing creak open.

"Prongs!"

James whipped his head around with a glare for his best friend, "Shh! Be quiet you idiot. Don't wake her up!"

Sirius Black sauntered into the Hospital Wing without a care in the world. "Don't wake who? And where the bloody hell have you been? We've been worried sick, and Lily is on a rampage that she can't find you," Sirius at least had the good sense to lower his voice to a whisper.

"I've pretty much been here all night and day. As for who she is….I have no idea. She actually hasn't told me her name yet," James responded with a sigh and rubbed his hands down his face. "It's complicated. I'm not ready to talk about it just yet. I'm probably going to be here for a few days though. Could you please run interference with Lily? And tell Remus and Peter….I'm not sure just tell them something, but please don't mention her."

Sirius gazed at his brother in all but blood with a concerned look. "James? I don't even know who she is. I need a little more to go on. Come on, talk to me mate. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Padfoot, please. I promise I will explain when I can, and hopefully soon," James implored his fellow marauder. Hopefully, his parents would get back to him soon.

After a moment of hesitation, Sirius nodded his head. "Okay. I'll deal with Lily for now, but you need to talk to her soon. You've been avoiding her for weeks trying to plan this proposal. She's starting to get suspicious, and now you're sleeping in the Hospital Wing and skipping class, refusing to leave the side of some other girl. All I have to say is you better have a damn good explanation for her if you want to keep your bollocks."

"Oh don't worry. I think Lily will forgive me...eventually." James informed his best friend with a small chuckle.

Sirius clapped his friend on the shoulder and gave him one last inspection before making his way out of the wing, trying to come up with some excuse to give the head girl as to why her boyfriend had gone missing.

James spent the rest of the day revising for his NEWTs without any interruptions, and the witch spent the rest of the day in a deep sleep. It wasn't until well after dinner time that she had any other visitors.

The Headmaster had spent the majority of his day researching in his extensive library for reasons as to the young witch's time travel. He didn't seem to get anywhere until he received a Floo call around 10 PM from a troubled Charlus Potter requesting an immediate meeting. Upon agreeing to the normally level headed Lord Potter, Albus opened his Floo and both Charlus and Dorea Potter emerged.

"Charlus, Dorea. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" The headmaster greeted the older couple jovially.

Charlus was the first to respond. "Albus, thank you for agreeing to meet with us so quickly. We were hoping you could help us."

"Well, I will do what I can. What is it that I can assist you with?"

"We received a letter from James earlier today. Dorea and I have been discussing if we should even bother in visiting, but our curiosity has gotten the better of us and we need to know either way."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you are asking for," the headmaster questioned.

"James said he found a young witch last night. He's quite concerned about her. He's also confused as to why he feels such a pull towards her and stated that he won't be leaving her side until he can be assured that she will be okay both physically and mentally."

"Yes, James has seemed unusually attached to her. He spent the night in the Hospital Wing and as far as I know hasn't been to any of his classes today. Poppy hasn't said anything because he apparently has spent the day studying at least. Are you concerned about his NEWTs?" Albus inquired.

For the first time since entering the office, the normally formidable Dorea Potter spoke with tears in her eyes. "Could we see her? The girl. James said he felt pulled towards her. It could be his magic calling out. Please, it could be Charlotte. What other explanation could there be that he's so drawn to her? It could be my baby. I need to know."

Charlus pulled his wife close, with tears in his own eyes, to comfort his wife. "We just need to see her. It's been twelve years but we would know our own daughter. Perhaps we could perform a familial spell?"

Albus gazed at the grieving couple. He had known Charlus and Dorea since they were both in school and had in fact been good friends with Charlus's father. He had known that James had been their last chance to have a healthy child, and when only a little over a year later Charlotte had been born, well it was nothing short of a miracle. Then when Charlotte had been kidnapped, his heart broke for the Potter family. He knew that despite all of the investigations around Charlotte's disappearance and her eventually being declared dead after there was no evidence to the contrary, both Charlus and Dorea had never given up hope that their daughter, their little miracle, would return home to them. He knew James, though young when his sister had been taken, had also taken her disappearance hard.

The headmaster couldn't deny there were similarities in regards to appearance between Hermione Granger and James Potter, and through his research, he had discovered there was a spell to thrust someone forward into the future….as well as a counterspell to return somebody to their rightful time. So it wasn't inconceivable that Hermione Granger and Charlotte Potter were one and the same, but the chances of that being the case are astronomical. He didn't want to give the couple hope in case the young witch wasn't their daughter but he couldn't outright deny them their request. After all, if she was Charlotte Potter, nothing would keep Charlus and Dorea from her.

The old headmaster sighed in defeat. "I will agree to let you see her but there are some conditions. We will not perform the Familial Spell until I have had the chance to speak with her again. I've been conducting some research on her behalf and would like to go over my findings with her first. You also need to prepare yourselves. Miss Granger is not well. She has been through great trauma and needs time to rest and recuperate. I can not have you upsetting her and setting back her healing. Lastly, I do not want you getting your hopes up. If she is Charlotte, she is not the same little girl you remember; she is much changed."

"We understand Albus. Please can we see her now? " Charlus implored, while Dorea looked at him with pleading eyes.

"It is getting late. Are you sure you don't want to go home and sleep? You can return in the morning for breakfast and the both of you can speak with James while I speak with Miss Granger," Albus lightly suggested.

Dorea was the one to respond this time, having composed herself and was no longer crying, her voice strong, "No. I for one know that I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing she could be so close. We do this tonight and if she is Charlotte we will be taking her home."

Despite her momentary loss of control at the thought that her daughter was alive, Dorea Potter was born a Black and was not a witch to be trifled with. What Dorea Potter wanted, Dorea Potter got.

It seemed that all Albus Dumbledore would be doing that night was sighing in defeat. "Very well. We will go down to see her now. Though I do insist that if she is Charlotte, Madame Pomfrey be the one to determine when she is released."

The Potter parents glanced at each other before both nodded in agreement. Then the three left the office to begin making their way to the Hospital Wing in silence. One praying to Merlin her little miracle had returned to her. Another trying to focus on his son rather than get his hopes that his daughter had finally come home. And the third wondering if the impossible happened and maybe, just maybe, there was now a way to end this war.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I apologize I am a day late in posting this. I started a new job last week and honestly, I just forgot yesterday was Thursday. With that said I have now put an alert in my phone to update every Thursday. Thank you for your patience.

When Hermione woke up it was dark out this time. She glanced next to her to see James Potter slumped over in the chair and rolled her eyes. Of course he didn't leave, she thought. Not that she truly believed he would but she had at least hoped he would listen to her.

Despite having spent the entire day asleep, she still felt absolutely exhausted, though not in as much pain as before. Despite her exhaustion, Hermione was happy to see that Madame Pomfrey left another tray of broth and bread under a stasis charm for her. She had missed both lunch and dinner, and while she was used to skipping meals at this point, she didn't have to anymore. She wanted to build her strength back up so when she did return to 1998 she was ready to fight again.

Hermione also noticed her wand had been returned to her and as soon as she had finished eating quickly grabbed it and relished the feeling of her magic running through her beloved vinewood wand. She remembered what Madame Pomfrey had said about her magical exhaustion and decided to try out a few simple spells: levitating the tray her dinner had been on, summoning the pain potion on the far side of the table next to her. Frustrated that even those spells seemed to wear her out, Hermione decided to try again in the morning after a few more hours of sleep.

As she laid back down under the covers ready to drift off the doors to the Hospital Wing opened and in walked the Headmaster with an older couple. The Headmaster lit a few lamps as the group made their way towards Hermione's bed.

"Ah! Miss Granger so glad to see you are awake. How are you feeling?" Professor Dumbledore inquired.

"Better, sir. Still a little tired but a few more hours of sleep and I should be just fine," Hermione didn't want to tell him about her magic being off as she hoped that would right itself soon.

"Excellent! Well let's get down to business but first, Dorea why don't you wake James and the three of you can head down to the kitchens to have your chat," the older wizard suggested.

The woman, Dorea, walked towards the side of the bed and gently shook the sleeping man. "James. James Darling, wake up."

Clearly groggy, James slowly opened his eyes and looked around. "Mum? Dad? What are you two doing here?"

"We got your letter and we wanted to talk with you straight away," the man, apparently James's father, informed him. "Come on, let's go get some tea while Albus and Miss Granger discuss a few things."

With only a slight bit of hesitation, James followed his parents out of the Hospital Wing only after being assured they would all return shortly.

Hermione watched the whole interaction in silence. She had just met Harry's grandparents. She didn't think her day could get any stranger, but decided to shake it off and hoped that Professor Dumbledore had some answers for her. "I know it's only been a day but were you able to make any progress?"

The older wizard gave her a sympathetic look before he broke the news to her. "I have made some progress but the Potters interrupted me before I completely finished my research. It seems that James wrote to them about you earlier today. They requested a meeting immediately."

"I'm sure they're concerned he's skipping classes. It's quite irresponsible of him, especially this close to his NEWTs. I tried to get him to leave but he refused."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Not quite, they were more concerned about James feeling so connected to you. This is actually where my research comes in. Did you know there is a spell that displaces a person in time? Specifically, it will thrust someone forward in time?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. A spell to thrust someone forward in time? That was it! Her ticket home! She couldn't believe the Headmaster had been able to find a way home for her so soon. "You found a way to send me back! Oh, that's fantastic! When can we do the spell? I need to get back as soon as possible."

"Well as I said the spell will push someone forward in time, but that creates a small conundrum. That person who is spelled forward doesn't belong in the future, they are displaced from their rightful time. So along with this spell, there is a counterspell to return the one affected to their rightful time."

"Sir...I don't quite understand what you're trying to say."

"Twelve years ago, the Potter Family experienced a great tragedy. Their youngest, Charlotte, was kidnapped. She vanished without a trace. There was no sign of her death, but at the same time, there was no sign she was alive either. Eventually, the Aurors declared her dead."

"The Potter's had a daughter? I never knew that. I don't think Harry did either, but what does this have to do with me?"

"What do you know about family magic Miss Granger?"

Frustrated that he wasn't answering her questions and that his train of thought seemed to be bouncing from one topic to the other, Hermione groaned. She knew though she wouldn't get her answers unless she followed along. It was simply how the Headmaster worked. "Not much. It's quite hard to research. Most families pass down their knowledge through the generations rather than writing anything down."

"Yes that is true, but there is another aspect of family magic that isn't often discussed. Familial magic recognizes one another. It tends to call out to one another, especially if a close relation is in danger. If one person is weak or injured, someone else from his or her bloodline can help strengthen them, even just by proximity. It helps to ensure the continuation of that bloodline."

Hermione listened intently to what the Headmaster was telling her. It wasn't often somebody was so willing to open up about such a private branch of magic and she was fascinated, but as Professor Dumbledore continued she slowly began to put the pieces together of what he had been saying. James had a sister who was kidnapped. A spell to thrust someone forward in time, and a counterspell to send them back. Family magic calling out to try to restore and protect those of the bloodline. "No."

"No, Miss Granger? May I ask what you are saying no to?" The Headmaster inquired of the young girl.

"No, I am not Charlotte Potter. That is impossible. James has simply been acting strange because...because, well I don't know why but it is not because I am his long lost sister. My name is Hermione Jean Granger. My parents are Richard and Helen Granger of London, both dentists. I was born on September 19th, 1979. There is no way that I am the kidnapped daughter of the Potter Family. It's just not possible!"

By the end of her rant, Hermione's voice had become so shrill that it caught the attention of the mediwitch. Madame Pomfrey came bustling over and began to chastise the Headmaster, "Now Albus really! My patient needs rest. I have been kind enough to allow Mr. Potter to stay here all night and day seeing as how he's simply kept watch over her but I will not have you upsetting her. If you can not do that then I must insist that you leave."

"My apologies Poppy. I was trying to deliver my findings to her in a delicate way, but they are still quite upsetting. I promise you it won't happen again," Dumbledore apologized.

"Make sure that it doesn't. I don't care what you or Mr. Potter wants if anybody upsets her even one more time the both of you will be banned from the Hospital Wing until I have released Miss Granger," the mediwitch scolded the headmaster.

Hermione suppressed a giggle at the old wizard being chastised like a schoolboy. She definitely appreciated Madame Pomfrey standing up for her, especially considering she didn't want to believe or deal with Dumbledore's findings. She couldn't be Charlotte Potter. It just didn't make any sense. Yes, James seemed unusually protective of her for having just met but that didn't mean anything. Too much happened in the past few months for her to be able to properly process everything logically.

"Miss Granger, I'd like you to take this calming draught. It will help and it should help you go back to sleep soon as well," Madame Pomfrey instructed, jolting Hermione from her musings.

After the older witch made sure she finished her potion, she glared at the Headmaster and swept back into her office.

"Now, Miss Granger. I do apologize for upsetting you. Please understand this is only a hypothesis. I wouldn't jump to conclusions if I were you. The Potter's only wish to speak with you before performing a familial spell."

"A familial spell? Why? All it will do is get that poor family's hopes up and they will have enough heartache in their lives. I do not wish to contribute to it!"

"Will have?" Dumbledore inquired. "Are you acquainted with the Potter family in the future?"

Hermione immediately clammed up. She wasn't supposed to reveal anything about the future but in her current emotional state, she inadvertently did. She knew she wouldn't be able to lie to the Headmaster so she decided to only give him the bare minimum of information, "Yes, sir."

She should have known he wouldn't accept the bare minimum and the old wizard continued to push, "And how close are you with the family?"

Hermione thought for a second. She was, technically, close with the family seeing as how Harry was the last of the Potter line but she had never met any of the family she believed Dumbledore to be referring to. Though the question did get her thinking about her relationship with Harry. They had always been close, well except for the first couple months of her first year, but he saved her from the troll when they weren't friends. He felt the need to protect her and in turn, she always felt the need to protect him. The two were instantaneously close in a way that neither could explain so they simply chalked it up to being best friends. He was her brother in all but blood. The more she thought about it the more what Dumbledore implied made sense. But it just couldn't be possible. She couldn't accept that her whole life had been a lie. Hermione could tell though that she was going to be overruled. She decided to tell Dumbledore the bare minimum about her life and allow the familial spell. Then they'll see it was all a misunderstanding and send her home.

"Professor, I understand what you are implying. And yes I am quite close with James Potter's son but that doesn't mean anything. If I was a Potter wouldn't I have remembered something from my life here? Not to mention I look nothing like the Potter family," Hermione tried to logically reason with the Headmaster, "however, I will agree to the familial spell and prove that I'm not who you think I am."

The old Headmaster smiled at the young witch, "Miss Granger have you seen yourself in a mirror recently? You and James look quite a bit alike actually."

"What? I've been in bed for the past 24 hours and I've been a little busy to care about appearances."

Albus pulled out his wand and conjured a mirror for Hermione, and what she saw shocked her. Oh, it was still her, she could tell. Her face shape was still the same but her eyes were completely different, they were now a bright hazel instead of her usual mix of chocolate and amber. Her nose, which she always felt was a bit big for her face, was slightly smaller, and her hair still held the crazy unmanageable curls but they were now a jet black. A jet black that reminded her a lot of….Harry.

She was completely stunned by her appearance. This was not the same person she was used to seeing in the mirror. As she studied her appearance, the hospital doors opened once more.

Both current occupants of the Hospital Wing turned to see the elder Potters walk in. Hermione, still in shock over her appearance, simply stared at the family who was getting harder and harder to deny she belonged to. Dumbledore had the usual twinkle in his eye and smiled at the couple.

"Charlus, Dorea! I trust your chat went well. We're just about done here and then we can get started," Dumbledore explained before turning back to Hermione, "Do you have any more questions, my dear?"

"No…," Hermione said as she choked back tears, "no, please just perform the spell."

"Excellent! All we will need is a drop of blood from you," he stated while summoning a piece of parchment and setting it on the table next to Hermione's bed.

"Albus could you please wait a moment," Charlus interrupted, "We want to wait for James. He went to get Sirius. He's part of our family as well and deserves to be here for this too. Do you think while we wait you could give us a moment with Char….Hermione?"

Albus hesitated for a moment but acquiesced, "Of course Charlus. I'll be right outside and bring both boys in once they get here."

The other three occupants of the Hospital Wing watched as the Headmaster made his way out of the room before the elder two turned to look at the witch lying in the bed.

Nobody said anything for the first few moments but eventually, Hermione broke the silence.

"Hell-hello. We weren't properly introduced before. I'm Hermione Granger," she said with a small smile, feeling a little silly introducing herself to the couple who was potentially her parents. But what else do you say to two people who may or may not be the parents that you never met? The whole situation was bizarre, and that's saying something coming from a muggleborn witch who didn't even know magic existed until she was 11.

The two Potters smiled at the young witch, but it was Dorea who spoke first. "It is very nice to meet you. I am Dorea, and this is my husband Charlus. Do you mind if we sit for a few moments?"

"Oh, please. I am so sorry. That was rude of me not to ask you to sit."

Charlus chuckled while he conjured another chair while his wife sat in the seat the Headmaster previously vacated, "Not at all. This is quite an odd situation. We know this can't be easy for you. We just wanted to maybe get to know you a little while we wait. If that's okay with you of course."

"Oh, umm….sure. How much has Professor Dumbledore told you so far?" Hermione inquired.

Charlus continued, "Not much. What we know is James found you, and you were pretty badly injured. How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. Thank you for asking," she responded with a tired smile.

Dorea gave her a small smile. "Are you sure dear? You look a little peaky?"

"Oh yes. I'm still just a little tired. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"Well alright," the Potter matriarch acquiesced, "How about you tell us a little more about yourself. Where did you grow up?"

Hermione bit her lip and glanced towards the door hoping the Headmaster would walk back in so she didn't have to have this conversation. How much could she reveal? If she was able to stay in this time, if this was truly her rightful time, there would be so much she could do. There wouldn't be another Hermione Granger for her to run into or have to worry about a time loop, but if she had to return to 1998 she couldn't tell the Potters anything. However, the couple seemed desperate for information and she could tell they were hoping she was their daughter.

"Well, er...I grew up in London, and my par — my parents are dentists," Hermione stammered out, slightly uncomfortable by their stares and very aware that the two people in front of her believed they were her parents, while she talked about the people who raised her. Luckily at that moment, the Hospital Wing doors opened again, and Albus Dumbledore, James Potter, and Sirius Black — looking much younger and more carefree than Hermione had ever seen him — walked in.

Hermione had never been happier for a conversation to end in her life. She had no idea what to say to the elder Potters.

As the three wizards approached her bed, the Headmaster conjured three more chairs before he addressed the young witch, "Now Miss Granger, did Charlus and Dorea explain how the familial spell works?"

"No, sir. We hadn't gotten that far yet," Hermione answered the older wizard and tried her hardest not to look at James or Sirius who were staring quite intently at her.

Charlus then spoke up causing the other occupants of the room to turn towards him, "It's quite simple really. All it requires is a drop of blood from the witch or wizard whose ancestry we are looking in to. Once the spell has been cast the drop of blood will form into your family tree."

Hermione was nervous. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Her parents never said anything about her being adopted, but she couldn't deny that what Professor Dumbledore had explained earlier made a weird sort of sense. "Alright. I'm ready."

Professor Dumbledore produced a parchment and laid it on the table next to Hermione's bed. She picked up her wand and cast a small diffindo on her finger and let a single drop of blood drip on the parchment. She didn't heal the small cut, not wanting to waste her energy.

It seemed, Mrs. Potter realized, she wasn't going to heal herself, so she reached over to take the young girl's hand, and healed the cut. Hermione looked over at the older witch and gave her a small smile in thanks before Dorea Potter released her hand.

Albus Dumbledore then took his own wand and waved it over the parchment in a complicated pattern and said familias revelio. For a moment nothing happened, then as if an invisible quill was using her blood as ink words began to form. First, in the center of the parchment: Charlotte Dorea Potter. Next to her name was James Charlus Potter, and above were Charlus Henry Potter and Dorea Black Potter.

Everybody in the room stopped breathing for a moment before Dorea burst into tears and hugged the girl as though she would disappear again, while Charlus rubbed his wife's back, and could barely contain the grin that was threatening to split his face in half. James and Sirius simply stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of them, in complete shock, while Dumbledore observed the now reunited family with the familiar twinkle in his eye.

After a few moments, Dorea composed herself as much as she could and pulled away from Hermione, without fully letting her go. She stared at the young witch, still with tears in her eyes, "Oh Merlin! Charlotte….it's really you! I can't believe it's really you. When can we take her home?" She asked Dumbledore.

Hermione listened to this while trying not to hyperventilate. Her whole life had been a lie. How did this happen? How did Rabastan know she was Charlotte? How could her parents not tell her she had been adopted? Her mind was filled with questions that she didn't know could ever be answered. She looked up with tears running down her face to see James and Sirius staring at her. James with a smile so big it looked like his face would crack in two, and Sirius with an unreadable expression.

"I believe that is up to our esteemed mediwitch. However, it is late and I suggest we all get some rest. Charlus, Dorea you are more than welcome to stay in the guest quarters tonight. James and Sirius should go back to the tower tonight," Dumbledore suggested.

James decided to speak up, "What? No! Now that I know she's Charlotte, there is no way I'm leaving her alone. You saw the state she was in when she arrived"

"Hermione," Hermione interrupted.

James looked back at his long lost sister, "Huh?"

"My name is Hermione, and please just go. I – I can't deal with this right now," she pulled away from Dorea until the older witch dropped her arms from her daughter with a hurt but understanding look on her face.

"James darling," Dorea addressed her son, "perhaps Char–Hermione is right. This is….overwhelming, to say the least. We could all do with some sleep. And I'm sure she could do with some time to process everything."

"I agree with James, Mum," Sirius began, "Somebody needs to watch out for her."

"I don't think there is anything to worry about Mr. Black," the Headmaster informed his student, "I can assure you nothing will happen to her while she is here. Hogwarts does have excellent wards."

"But…" Sirius tried to reason.

"That's enough Sirius. We will figure everything out as a family in the morning," Charlus said gruffly, speaking for the first time since the spell had been cast. He then turned to Hermione, his little girl who clearly wasn't so little anymore. He looked at her and could tell she was only a few minutes from breaking down. He spoke quietly, hoping to calm her down, "Why don't you get some sleep? We'll talk more in the morning. I know this has to be a shock to you but I promise everything will work out."

He gave her a sad smile before turning and putting his arm around his wife again.

After finally getting both James and Sirius to leave the Hospital Wing, everybody but Hermione made their way into the hall to head to bed. Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself and laid down hoping to get some sleep. Clearly she wasn't returning to 1998 and now she needed to accept the fact she was never going to see her friends and family again. Well, she guessed she would see Harry again but she would be his aunt, not his best friend. He would never rescue her from a troll, they would never sit in front of the fire in the common room laughing with Ron. Everything had changed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I am awful....despite putting a reminder in my calendar I did not post on Thursday. I am so sorry to all of you! Maybe I should just change my update day to Friday since that day seems to work better for me. I will say no matter what I will update once a week, whether it is Thursday or Friday we will see. Anyway, thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter

James and Sirius hurried back to the empty common room and flung themselves into the chairs in front of the fire; both had the biggest smiles on their faces.

"I can't believe it. My sister! She's here. In the castle. Mate, can you believe it?" James beamed at Sirius.

The dark haired wizard laughed at the goofy look on his best friend's face, "No, I can't quite believe it Prongs. I can't even imagine how you're feeling right now. Your parents must be beside themselves."

"Everything feels like it's falling into place. We'll all be a family again."

Not wanting to cause the other wizard any distress Sirius tried to delicately ask, "Prongs, did you get a chance to talk to her today? I mean when I saw her…she looks like she's been through hell. What happened to her?"

James sighed, very quickly coming down from the high he was feeling, "Honestly, no. I didn't get a chance to talk to her. She slept most of the day, and when she was awake she actually wasn't the friendliest. She kept trying to get me to leave."

Sirius snorted, "Of course she did, and you with your way with women I'm sure handled the situation perfectly."

Throwing a pillow at his best friend, James laughed. "Of course I did. I told her I'd leave once she fell asleep and then didn't."

"You know if you want to know what happened to her you need to get her to trust you. She won't if you keep ignoring what she wants," Sirius stated.

"Because you're such an expert on women Pads."

"As a matter of fact I am. It's all about finesse my dear friend."

Sirius smirked while James made a disgusted face. "Eww...do not talk about my sister and finesse in the same sentence. It's disgusting."

"Prongs? Padfoot? What are you two doing down here? Where have you been?" A voice called from the stairs.

Both James and Sirius looked over to see both Remus and Peter walking down the stairs.

"Moony! Wormtail! Lovely to see both of you, it's been too long!" James greeted cheerfully.

Peter and Remus looked at Sirius, slightly concerned about their messy haired friend. "Er…" Remus began.

"What's wrong with Prongs, Pads? Was he hit with a Cheering Charm?" Peter jumped in.

Sirius just chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Absolutely nothing. He just got some good news. Is it okay to tell them now?" Sirius asked his still beaming friend.

"Tell us what?" Peter inquired.

James's smile grew even bigger. "Well, as you all should know I have a sister, and said sister has been missing for twelve years."

"I thought she was dead?" Peter said.

"Shut up Wormy," Remus sighed in exasperation at his friend's lack of filter while James glared at the smaller boy.

"Anyway," James continued, "as I was saying, my sister has been missing for twelve years and as of about an hour ago she has officially been found!"

"What?!"

"That's amazing!"

Both Remus and Peter shouted.

Remus, however, continued, "How was she found? Where was she?"

"I actually found her," James informed his other two best friends, as Sirius already knew the story. "I was out by the lake last night and as I was coming back she just appeared. I didn't know who she was until we did a familial spell tonight. As for where she's been I have no idea. She hasn't really spoken to anybody but Dumbledore."

"Is that where you've been then?" Peter asked, "All last night and today? Lily's been on a rampage that she couldn't find you."

"I told him about Lily earlier," Sirius interjected.

"Yes. I've been in the Hospital Wing with her since I found her, and don't worry about Lily. I'll deal with her. I'm sure when I explain everything she'll understand."

"Yeah I'm sure you're right mate," Remus agreed clapping James on the back. "So when do we get to meet this sister of yours?"

"I don't know actually. I don't want to overwhelm her too much. She's not quite well yet, and I'm not sure when Mum and Dad are taking her home. I guess we'll discuss it more in the morning. Pads, are you meeting us back at the Hospital Wing before breakfast or coming with me now?"

"You're going back to the Hospital Wing now?" Remus asked confused, "why did you leave in the first place then?"

James shrugged, "Dumbledore told us to. He's letting Mum and Dad stay in a guest suite tonight, but I guarantee you they'll make their way back to the Hospital tonight as well. I don't think any of us want to leave her alone." James stood up and stretched, "Well mates, I best be off. Pads?"

Sirius looked uncertain, a look that only his three best friends ever saw, "I don't know James. Maybe you should go alone. She will probably want to be around just family."

James scoffed, "Nonsense, you're family too. She'll have to get used to you being around. Come on, I want to get to sleep." James pulled his invisibility cloak out from his bag and headed towards the portrait hole, "G'night! We'll find you two sometime tomorrow, and please don't mention anything to Lily. I want to be the one to tell her about Charlotte."

Sirius stood up as well and followed James out of the portrait hole waving at the other two Marauders all the while they called out a "night!" before making their way back to the dormitories. The two friends made their way slowly towards the Hospital Wing. They weren't as small as they used to be so fitting two almost fully grown men under the cloak was a bit of a challenge. After nearly thirty minutes, the two seventh years finally made it to their destination. Upon entering, they discovered James's prediction about his parents was correct. 

The two elder Potters had a lamp lit and were sitting talking quietly while staring at their sleeping daughter, completely in awe of the beautiful girl before them.  
As the doors to the Hospital Wing opened, the parents looked up. Charlus Potter smirked as James pulled the cloak off of both him and Sirius. "I was wondering how long you would last before you came back," he whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping witch.

"Yeah well, I couldn't leave her alone," the Potter heir defended.

"Your mother and I were just talking about arrangements for Char – Hermione," Charlus began, "We'll have to talk to Madame Pomfrey but we want her to stay here for a few days. We'll spend as much time with her as we can before bringing her home. We don't want her to feel forced into a new environment. So we'll be here for a few days. Is that alright with both of you?"

Sirius responded first, bewildered by the question. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

Dorea chuckled, "Well not many teenagers want their old parents hanging around their school."

Both of the younger wizards rolled their eyes. "I think we'll manage. Besides, I don't want her to leave Hogwarts just yet. I'd like to spend time with her as well, when she isn't sleeping."

Dorea gave her son a stern look. "Young man, we may not have said anything due to your reasons behind skipping your classes but you will not be doing that again. Your NEWTS are coming up and I will not have any son of mine fail them, no matter the reason."

James gulped. "Yes, ma'am," he instantly responded.

"Good, now. You're more than welcome to study in here during your free time as long as it's okay with Madame Pomfrey and Char – Hermione. Merlin, that's going to take some getting used to. Calling her Hermione."

"Speaking of free time," James interrupted, "Would it be possible for Hermione to meet Remus and Peter? We talked to them while we were back in the tower," James asked his parents.

"I think for now we should leave all decisions up to Hermione," Charlus suggested. "Depending on how she's feeling, you can find a time to ask her. What about Lily?"

Sirius smirked, "Oh you will not want to miss when Lily gets her hands on him. She's right pissed at him. I for one will not be missing that show."

"Shut up Pads," James grumbled.

"And just what is Sirius talking about? What did you do to that girl, James?" His mother admonished him.

"Nothing! I swear. I just haven't spoken to her in about a week. But it's not my fault I don't want to accidentally blurt out the proposal!" James defended himself.

"Oh James," Dorea said, exasperated. "You deserve anything that girl says to you, and you should probably talk to her BEFORE you propose. Girls tend to not like when you ignore them and then try to marry them."

"Yes, mother. I'm aware thank you." James stewed about his predicament with his girlfriend while his family chuckled at him.

"Mate, you've proposed to her once a year since we were eleven. What's the big deal?" Sirius teased.

"The big deal is that this time it's for real, and she might actually say yes," James retorted.

Charlus stood up and began to enlarge a bed for him and his wife. "Well why don't we all get some sleep and we can continue this lively discussion in the morning."

"Or we could get some sleep and never bring this up again," James suggested.

Sirius snorted, "Not a chance Prongsie."

As the four got into their beds for the night, Charlus put out the light with his wand and they all drifted off into a peaceful sleep. But all too quickly, they were all woken by a piercing scream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Thursday and I'm remembering to update! Are you all proud of me? I'm proud of myself. So if you have read this on Fanfiction, then you will notice this chapter is longer. I just combined chapter 6 and chapter 7 that's on FF. I decided I wanted the two chapters as one, but the content is the same. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this update!

“We didn't take it! We've never been in your vault!” Hermione screamed.

The four other occupants of the room, as well as Madame Pomfrey, were startled awake and jumped out of bed looking for the threat as the mediwitch came running into the room from her office to see what the disturbance was. What they saw was the young witch thrashing around in her bed in the throes of a nightmare.

James immediately leapt into action and ran to his sister, gathering her up in his arms. “Wake up! You're okay, it's just a nightmare. Wake up!” He lightly shook her as he tried to talk her out of the nightmare.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and saw an outline of messy hair and glasses. She immediately threw her arms around him and began to sob, “Harry, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.”

“Hermione, it’s James. Who's Harry?”

Hermione looked up with tears in her eyes, but was able to get a better look at the hazel eyes behind the glasses. Hazel, not green. “James,” she whispered. 

She pulled back from him, causing him to drop his arms, and looked around the room to see the others all standing around looking concerned. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you all. I should have insisted on Dreamless Sleep, I sometimes have nightmares,” she told them sheepishly.

Dorea gave her a sad smile. “It's okay dear. We can get you some now. Is that alright Poppy?”

Madame Pomfrey immediately sprang into action, “Of course. I can give you enough for a full eight hours of sleep, and we can see how you are feeling once you wake up. Here you are dear.” She handed Hermione the purple potion.

Hermione took the potion but hesitated before drinking it. “I really am sorry to disturb you all. You don't have to stay with me all night. I will be fine. You should all go back to your rooms to sleep.”

Sirius snorted at her statement which caused her to turn and glare at him. “And what was that for Sirius Black?”

He smirked at her. “Nothing, just that there is no way in hell any of us will be leaving the Hospital Wing.”

“He's right Hermione,” Charlus stated. “We just found you. Your mother and I are quite unwilling to let you out of our sight right now. At least until we know you're better and can take you home. Now why don't you drink your potion and rest. From what Madame Pomfrey has told us you need quite a bit of it.”

With a slight huff, Hermione acquiesced, “Fine, I guess we can continue this conversation in the morning.”

Hermione downed the potion in one swallow and within moments had collapsed back on her bed asleep once more.

“This is why we shouldn't leave her alone!” James stated angrily. “Did you hear her? I've never heard anybody make sounds like that. It sounded like she was dying,” he finished with a whisper and tears in his eyes.

Dorea went to comfort her son. “James, darling. She will be okay. We will help her through whatever it is that happened to her, but I have a feeling smothering her is not the answer. You let us take care of her. We’ll make sure nothing happens to her again. And same goes for you Sirius. Alright? Sirius? What is it?” She inquired noting the wide-eye, unblinking look on her other son’s face.

“Those screams. I've...I've only ever heard something like that from somebody under the Cruciatus. What happened to her?”

Charlus went to comfort the black haired wizard. “I don't know, but we will find out and whoever hurt her will pay. Just trust us to take care of all of you. She will be okay Sirius.”

“Alright, enough of this. We've all had a long day and it's late. In bed, now. Hermione will be okay for the rest of the night, so we should all get some sleep as well. I have a feeling the next few days will be difficult. Plus the two of you have classes in the morning,” Dorea directed.

“But Mum,” James began.

“No buts James Charlus. We might have been understanding about skipping classes today but you will not be doing it anymore. You have NEWTs and nothing is more important, do you understand me?”

James, properly chastised, turned a light shade of pink at being scolded by his mother, though he still nodded and mumbled out a “Yes Mum”.

“Good,” Dorea smiled and kissed her son on the head before walking to Sirius pulling him into a hug and kissing his forehead as well. 

She turned to her third child, and only daughter, with tears in her eyes. It was a bittersweet feeling looking at her. She had prayed for years this day would come, that her daughter would come back to her. Dorea had never been happier when the familial spell revealed that the girl was her Charlotte, though she couldn't help but feel anger now. Anger that so much of her daughter’s life had been stolen from her. Anger at whoever took Charlotte from her family. Anger that she clearly had been hurt and tortured and was forced to survive horrors no child should ever have to. She agreed with Charlus. They would find out whoever did this and they would pay.

She leaned down and kissed her daughter’s forehead, just as she had done with her sons, and fussed over Hermione’s blankets, making sure she was properly tucked in, before climbing into her own bed next to her daughter.

She watched as Charlus did the same thing she had, and fussed over their little girl. Then he climbed in beside his wife and pulled her to his chest. The two remained silent as both James and Sirius got back in their own beds and quickly fell asleep.

After a few moments Dorea whispered, “Somebody hurt our baby Charlus.”

“I know.”

“I won't give up. I won't let this rest. I will find them,” Dorea uttered with malice in her voice.

“We won't,” Charlus responded. “We didn't give up after she went missing. We won't give up now, but for now sleep love. We will figure more out in the morning, and hopefully bring Hermione home and get her settled before we do anything.”

The older couple then fell asleep, entwined in each other’s arms, comforted in the fact that their family was finally whole.

Hermione woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through the windows, and surprisingly, an empty Hospital Wing. She half expected to wake up to the entirety of the Potter family simply staring at her; thankfully that was not the case. 

She didn't think she could take much more of it. Of course she understood, for them this was what they had been waiting years for, but for Hermione her entire world had been turned upside down. She would never see the parents who raised her again, Harry and Ron would be completely different people, she had never felt so alone since her first couple of months at Hogwarts. But Hermione Granger was a Gryffindor so, like she did then, she would soldier on. She could mourn her previous life and embrace the chance she had to make a difference.

At that moment the Hospital Wing doors opened and in came the elder Potter’s as well as Professor Dumbledore.

“Ah! Hermione, you're awake,” the old wizard observed, as the trio walked toward her and settled into the chairs still situated around her bed. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

“Better. Thank you sir,” Hermione responded, realizing she did feel better. While not 100%, she already felt her energy to be much better after being able to sleep with no interruptions.

“Excellent! Now, your parents and I were just talking. They are quite interested in everything that has happened to you. I told them I didn't feel right revealing any information you told me until I discussed it with you.”

Surprised at this, considering how the Dumbledore she remembered tended to do what he wanted as long as it suited his purposes, Hermione responded, “Oh….thank you. I appreciate the consideration.”

Dumbledore continued on, “However, I advise you to keep certain details to yourself. If certain information fell into the wrong hands it would be disastrous, and I believe it would be better if you and I discussed some more of the finer details before any decisions are made.”

And there was the Albus Dumbledore Hermione remembered. Always manipulating and suggesting in order to make sure his plans fell into place; and it pissed Hermione off. Whatever positive feelings she felt when she first woke up to a familiar face vanished as she remembered what this man put Harry through. He was the reason Harry grew up in an abusive home. He was the reason Harry didn't know about the prophecy until it was too late. He was the reason three children were fighting a war. He sent them on an impossible suicide mission with no direction and clues almost impossible to decipher. 

Not this time, she may need his and the Order’s help to defeat Voldemort, but they would do it on her terms.

Her inner thoughts were then interrupted by her mother. “Excuse me Albus, but are you suggesting our daughter lie to us?”

“Not at all Dorea,” the Headmaster began to placate, “Hermione has been through a great deal, and certain information she has learned, if it fell into the wrong hands especially in this political climate she could be in even more danger.”

“So now you are suggesting that we are unable to protect Hermione or that we would allow any information that could be detrimental to her safety to fall into the wrong hands,” Dorea stated calmly, while Charlus sat back quite enjoying the show of his wife steamrolling the older wizard. No information would be kept from Dorea Potter neé Black if it would help her get revenge for her family.

Before Dumbledore could respond, the young girl being discussed stepped in. “Professor, while I understand the seriousness of the situation I believe it is my decision as to what I do or do not reveal to my family. I would never do anything to put them in harm’s way, and I would appreciate it if you did not underestimate my intelligence,” she snapped.

Taken aback by the fierceness of her tone the wizard tried to reason with the girl. “You are only sixteen, you can’t possibly begin to understand the magnitude of the current situation,” he began.

“No, what you don’t understand is that I have been fighting since I was twelve years old and I can guarantee you that I know more about the current situation and Tom Riddle and the lengths he will go to reach his goals than you could even imagine.” Hermione’s voice was steady and cold. She would not let this old man turn her into his Chosen One the way he did to Harry. They would win the war, but it would be on her terms. “Now I would be more than happy to discuss what I know once the time is right but if you would excuse us for now, I would appreciate some time with my parents. ”

The headmaster attempted to protest but Charlus stepped in, “Albus, perhaps it is best for us to talk with Hermione alone. I know you believe things should be done a certain way, but let us parent our child.”

Reluctantly, he realized that he would be getting nowhere with the Potter family at the current moment and took his leave, leaving the trio alone in the Hospital Wing.

Hermione thanked Merlin that the Potter’s had taken her side in the matter. She might have been feeling better, but she didn’t have the energy to take on both her parents and the Headmaster at once.

She then realized that both Charlus and Dorea were staring at her and she suddenly felt very shy. “Er….good morning.”

Charlus chuckled, while Dorea bent over to kiss her on the top of her head with a smile.

“Good morning darling,” Dorea greeted. “I apologize that we seemed to have ambushed you once again. Are you truly feeling well?”

“Yes, Mrs -- Ma’ -- Mu...er...I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to call either of you,” Hermione stuttered out while glancing between the two of them.

Both Potters smiled at her sadly. “You can call us Mum and Dad if you would like, or Charlus and Dorea until you are more comfortable with Mum and Dad,” Charlus suggested.

“Oh, well...I can try Mum and Dad. I’m sorry this is all still a little surreal for me. My parents -- the people who raised me, well they never told me I was adopted. This whole situation is a little complicated to say the least.”

“Would you like to tell us a little about it?” Dorea asked gently.

“As much as I hate to admit it, Professor Dumbledore is right. If any of this got into the wrong hands, it would mean my life and most likely your lives as well. I just don’t care for him dictating my actions as though he has a right to.”

“Hermione, both your mother and I are quite accomplished at Occlumency. Nobody will get any information from us that we do not wish them to have. We just want to help you. We know this will be an adjustment for all of us, but we can’t move forward if we don’t know what exactly we are moving forward from,” Charlus reasoned.

Hermione pondered this. It would be nice to have somebody know the full truth. It would be difficult to do everything on her own and if she couldn’t trust her own parents, Harry’s grandparents then who could she trust? There was no way she was telling James or Sirius anytime soon. She knew how impulsive Sirius was, and based on stories she remembers hearing while staying at Grimmuald Place, James was no better. Honestly if she had anything to say about it James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily would all stay as far away from the war as humanly possible; though she doubted they would agree to that. No, her parents seemed to be the best option. And hey, it would be a novelty...the adults actually doing something for once; but Hogwarts may not be the best setting for the discussion

“Alright, I will tell you, but not here. Can we please wait until we are away from Hogwarts. I don’t want to chance anybody else finding anything out.”

“Could you at least start with what you meant when you said you’ve been fighting since you were twelve?” Dorea asked sternly.

Hermione grimaced. “Caught that? That kind of just slipped out.”

Charlus and Dorea continued to watch Hermione, waiting for her to continue.

“It really will be easier if I just tell you everything at once. Please, I promise it will make sense,” she pleaded with her parents.

Charlus was the one to respond. “Alright, if you insist. Perhaps this is a conversation better had at home. We’ll talk to Madame Pomfrey about taking you home in the next day or so if that’s alright?”

“Yes, I’ve spent enough time in the Hospital Wing to last me a lifetime. I would appreciate a more comfortable bed to be honest,” Hermione tried to joke.

Dorea stood up and leaned over to peck the top of Hermione’s head, “We’ll be leaving for a few hours after speaking with Madame Pomfrey to return to the manor and ensure everything is ready for when you arrive but we will be back to have dinner with you. Try and rest some more dear.”

Charlus repeated his wife’s actions before they headed into the Matron’s office to discuss Hermione’s release. Once they were gone, Hermione picked up her wand and cast a quick Accio to find her little beaded bag, hoping that it had made the journey through time with her. The bag came flying out of a drawer next to her bed and landed in her hand, much to the young witch’s delight.

Reaching in she pulled out Hogwarts: A History. She knew that it wasn’t a book that would help on the Horcrux hunt but she couldn’t bear to part with it. The book had always served as a distraction to her whenever life seemed to be spiraling out of control. It reminded her of the first place she truly felt at home, and she knew when she was packing that there were going to be many times that she would need to remember that feeling. Now was no exception. While at the current moment she was at Hogwarts, she wasn’t home. She was 20 years in the past, even though she knew that it was her rightful time, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable and lonely. Hermione hoped that eventually this would change, though she had a feeling it would be quite some time before that happened. 

If anything she knew she would become an oddity: the lost Potter heiress had finally returned. People would be curious about where she had been and what happened to her. Not to mention, she most likely will have to keep a look out for the person who sent her to the future in the first place. The list of things she had to do seemed to keep growing; figure out how Rabastan Lestrange knew who she was, save James and Lily, find a way to destroy Voldemort. At least she would be able to finally take her seventh year and complete her NEWTS, some semblance of normalcy would be welcome.

Before she knew it, Hermione had drifted off to sleep while lost in her thoughts about her seemingly impossible tasks, only to be woken by shouting.

“Fucking blood traitors!”

“Slytherin scum!”

“Oh real witty, Potter. Please continue to dazzle us with your insults.”

“Fuck you, Snivellus!”

Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes wanting to know what the hell everybody was screaming about. What she saw shouldn’t have surprised her, yet it did. James Potter and Sirius Black both sporting nasty burns on their arms, with Sirius supporting James as he limped in. The two Gryffindors were very closely followed by two Slytherins, one was clearly Regulus Black as he was practically a carbon copy of Sirius, and the other a tall, lanky boy with greasy black hair and a large hooked nose. Hermione gasped at the sight of what could only be Severus Snape.

Both appeared injured as well. Regulus with his eye rapidly swelling shut, while you could see the beginning of a bruise on Snape’s jaw as well as the blood flowing rapidly from his clearly broken nose.

Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office at the racket the four were making. “Really? Is the language necessary? And just what happened to the four of you?”

All four began to talk at once before being interrupted by the Matron, “Never mind. All of you on a bed. Now.”

James and Sirius made their way to take the two beds next to Hermione while the future Potions Master and Regulus took the two beds closest to the door, as if they were getting ready to leave as soon as they were treated.

“How are you feeling Hermione?” James inquired.

“How am I feeling? That’s really what you’re going to say to me right now James Potter!” Hermione scolded.

“Yes? Why wouldn’t I ask that?” James hesitantly responded, clearly confused by his sister’s anger.

“How about an explanation as to what is going on? What happened to the two of you and why are you limping?”

“Sirius and I were just going to lunch when they attacked us!” James defended himself.

“Oh and who is this, Potter?” Regulus sneered as he looked over to see the two Gryffindors being scolded by the unknown girl. “Finally toss over your little Mudblood?”

“Shut up you little snake!” Sirius shouted at his brother.

“How about all of you shut up!” Hermione yelled. “Really, there is no need to act like such children! What is the matter with all of you? You know what...no! I don’t care. Whatever it is I’m sure it’s childish and has to stop. These stupid petty rivalries need to end. Three of you are about to leave Hogwarts and are supposed to be functioning members of society, so whatever is going on you had better sort out, because I swear to Merlin James I will not put up with it.” She ended her rant by turning to Madame Pomfrey, “May I please at least go for a walk outside? I’ll be back before my parents are. I can’t stand to be cooped up in here any longer.”

Madame Pomfrey, as well as the other four patients in the Hospital Wing, simply stared at the witch wide-eyed at her outburst. The Matron simply nodded as the young girl stormed out.

Regulus watched as the small witch walked out of the Hospital Wing. He hadn’t noticed her when she first walked in but after she started shouting at all of them he realized how striking she was. She was on the thin side, almost sickeningly so, but her wild black hair and her expressive hazel eyes were absolutely captivating. He had no idea who she was, but he was intrigued.

“Don’t actually tell me you’re leaving Lily for her?” Severus questioned in his eerily calm silky voice, startling Regulus from his thoughts.

“I don’t believe that is any of your business, Snivellus,” Potter sneered at the darker wizard.

“Enough! Miss Potter is right, and if the four of you aren’t quite done I will be forced to place a silencing charm on all of you.” Madame Pomfrey scolded the students. With that, she turned to begin healing Regulus first.

Miss Potter? That was a shock. As far as he knew there wasn’t a female Potter. The only female Potter he was aware of had been dead for a number of years. His mother had forced him to learn the family trees of every Pureblood family, even the so-called blood traitors, so as to avoid fraternizing with them. He had asked about Charlotte Potter. He remembered seeing both her birth and death dates and being inexplicably sad that they were so close together. His mother hadn’t told him much, just that it was one less blood traitor to worry about.

So who was this new Miss Potter? He was determined to find out.

“Alright, Mr. Black. You are good to go. Please, do not end up in my Hospital Wing again this year,” Madame Pomfrey instructed him, while piercing him with a hard stare. 

“Yes ma’am, thank you for your services,” Regulus said with his normal air of superiority that had been instilled in him since birth.

He took his leave from the Hospital Wing after muttering a quick “see you back in the common room” to Severus, and then decided to see if he could gather anymore information about the mystery girl.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to The Correction of Time. This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest but to compensate I will be posting two chapters today. I hope you all enjoy!

Hermione stormed out of the Hospital Wing, determined to put as much distance between herself and the four wizards as she could. She probably shouldn't have shouted at them, especially considering two of them had no idea who she was. What right did she have to scold them? 

But she couldn't help it. She had spent so many years dealing with the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry, she couldn't stand it anymore. It was deadly. All she could think about was how Regulus had sacrificed his life to help defeat the Dark Lord, maybe if there wasn't such a rivalry he would have felt as if he could go to Sirius for help or the Order. She thought of Draco Malfoy. Harry told her how terrified he seemed the night Dumbledore died, how sickly he looked when they were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor and then how he lied to try and protect their identities. Just maybe if the rivalry wasn't so ingrained in the very fiber of Hogwarts he would have accepted Dumbledore’s offer of protection. And she thought of Severus Snape. Dumbledore’s murderer. She didn’t know why, but she had a gut feeling there was more to the story. Despite her issues with the older wizard, there was no denying that Dumbledore was a great wizard. How was such a great wizard deceived for so long? She had trouble believing it.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione realized she had made it to the Entrance Hall without encountering anybody, thankful that it was the middle of the day and everybody was in class. She was just about to walk out the doors when she felt as if somebody was behind her, watching her. After being war-hardened and her year on the run, she spun around with her wand in her hand only to come face to face with Regulus Black.

He simply stared at her with an impassive look and raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

“Sorry,” she muttered, “Must be a little jumpy.”

“Clearly,” he drawled in his sophisticated tone. “Though if anybody has a right to be on the defensive it should be me given the little outburst back there.”

She grimaced a little, “Again, I apologize. I realize I had no right to shout at you the way I did. Though to be fair it was mainly directed at James.”

“You have no right to shout at me, yet you feel no remorse at shouting at Potter?” the dark wizard asked, fishing for information.

Hermione chuckled. “Well the way I figure it the familial relation gives me some leeway.”

“Familial relation. Are you a cousin of the Potter’s? I know you aren’t a cousin on his mother’s side as that would be the Black side of the family.”

“No, I’m not his cousin,” she informed him, but wasn’t sure she should elaborate. On one hand, she was almost sure that Regulus was already a Death Eater, or he would at least be one soon. On the other hand she knew that he would eventually defect, next year in fact. He would be crucial in her plans for bringing down Voldemort. Perhaps it would be better to start cultivating the relationship now. “I’m his sister,” she finally decided to inform him.

Regulus couldn’t keep the look of surprise off of his face. “Sister? How is that possible? Charlotte Potter died.”

“First it’s Hermione. Second, I can assure you I am very much alive. My parentage has been a recent discovery.”

“Well then, allow me to introduce myself,” Regulus reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it like any gentleman would do, “I am Regulus Black. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, “You know you aren’t how I imagined you to be.”

“You imagined meeting me?” Regulus asked confused.

“Oh, no. Er...I just mean I met Sirius yesterday and I assume based on the family resemblance you’re brothers. The two of you are very different,” Hermione managed to get out. In all honesty, she had imagined what Regulus Black was like over the past few months, once they figured out who RAB was. What kind of person knowingly sacrifices their life for a cause they were raised to believe in. She had pictured him more like Draco Malfoy. Arrogant, entitled, prejudiced, a bit stuck up, but not a killer.

Oh, he seemed arrogant alright, but he also had an effortless air about him, almost suave; like he could get you to open up about anything, and definitely not a killer. How this boy lasted even a day as a Death Eater baffled her. She didn’t know, but she thought that there was more than meets the eye with Regulus Black.

“Yes, my brother and I are quite different,” he stiffened and said with an air of formality, clearly uncomfortable talking about his estranged brother.

Before she had a chance to respond they both turned around at the sound of “Oi!”

“What are you doing with my sister, Black?” James Potter came stomping down the stairs, and if looks could kill, Regulus Black would be six feet under.

Hermione just rolled her eyes, “We’re just talking James. He was introducing himself. No need to have a fit.”

James came to stand by his sister but ignored her words, “You stay away from her. You won’t like the consequences if I hear that you are anywhere near her.”

With that he gently grabbed Hermione by her elbow and pulled her away, back up the stairs to the hospital wing.

Hermione shouted over her shoulder while allowing to be pulled away, “It was nice meeting you Regulus.”

Once they were out of earshot of the Slytherin, Hermione turned to her brother, “What was that about?”

“He’s bad news Hermione. A Death Eater. You need to stay away from him. From the lot of them,” James answered.

“I can take care of myself just fine James,” she retorted.

“I’m not saying you can’t, but please for me. Just try,” he begged.

“I’m not going to avoid him. He was nothing but pleasant to me, and until such a time that changes if I run into him I will be pleasant as well,” she informed him with an air of finality.

“Hermione,” James began.

“No, James,” then she softened a little, “I know you’re worried about me but please I will be fine. I am already almost fully recovered. My energy is back. Everything will be okay.”

James then looked at his sister. Really looked at her, she did seem to have a lot more color to her face, and her eyes were brighter. She was clearly doing better. He gave her a small smile and then pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned just as fiercely. It was almost like she was hugging Harry again…almost.

He then murmured, “We just can’t lose you again.”

“I know, and you won’t,” she responded.

They made the short journey back to the Hospital Wing, which was now empty, before James spoke again. Hermione got back in her bed while James took the chair that seemed to be permanently placed next to it now.

“So I was wondering, since you are feeling better. I really wanted to introduce you to a few other people,” he began, “but only if you’re up for it,” he quickly finished.

“And just who are these other people?” She asked. She had a general idea, but she couldn’t very well tell him that. In all honesty she was dying to see Remus again, even if it was his teenage self. He was her mentor and friend, and it would be nice to see a familiar face.

“Well you’ve already met Sirius, but we have two other friends that are dying to meet you. And Lily,” he told her with a goofy grin on his face, just thinking about his girlfriend.

“I would love to meet them James,” the young witch agrees. “Mum and Dad said they will be back for dinner and to finalize when I can get out of here. Why don’t all of you have dinner here tonight?”

James face lit up with a smile, “Brilliant! I have to go, I need to get to my next class but I’ll ask them and we’ll be back after classes are finished.” James stood up from his seat and grabbed the bag he left when he first went looking for Hermione before dropping a kiss on top of her head and racing out of the room.

Hermione chuckled to herself and shook her head. James may look like Harry but they were two very different people. She had never met anybody with so much enthusiasm. She knew James would keep her on her toes. Though presently she had a new problem to worry about. While she was looking forward to meeting Remus in this time, she was quite apprehensive about meeting Peter Pettigrew.

She knew that he hadn’t turned yet. He didn’t start passing information on the Order until about a year before the Potters died, which means she had two years before that happened. What caused him to turn traitor? Did he truly believe in the evil Voldemort and the Death Eaters spouted or was he just a coward looking to save his own hide? Could she possibly save him as well or was Peter Pettigrew a lost cause?

James Potter left the Hospital Wing and raced to his next class. He made it to Transfiguration just as the bell rang. Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look but since he wasn’t technically late couldn’t say anything, so James took his seat next to Sirius.

As Professor McGonagall began her lesson Sirius hissed, “Where were you? You left way before I did.”

“I wanted to find Hermione and make sure she made it back to the Hospital Wing okay,” the Head Boy whispered. “And you’ll never believe who I found her talking to.”

“Who?”

“Your brother.”

Sirius let out a low growl, “What did the little prick want with her?”

“I don’t know,” James scowled, “Hermione says he just introduced himself, but I told him to stay the hell away from her.”

“Good,” Sirius nodded.

With that the two then focused on the lesson and preparing for the Transfiguration NEWT.

As soon as class ended James packed up his stuff and turned to see his girlfriend hurry out of the classroom, so he raced to catch up with her. It was time he finally talked to her.

“Lily!” James called as he ran down the hall.

At the sound of her name she only sped up.

“LILY! WAIT!” James continued to shout.

Despite her speed, James had significantly longer legs than she did and was in shape due to Quidditch so he was able to easily catch up with er. James grabbed her arm to stop her from continuing on. The look on her face was one of pure rage.

“Oh, now you deign to speak to me?” She snarled.

“Lily, listen,” James began.

“No, you listen James Potter. I will not be made a fool of!” The red head shouted.

Before they could cause a scene, he pulled her into an unused classroom. “Please, Lily. Let me explain.” He tried again.

“Explain what? That you’re done? That you’ve decided to end things but didn’t have the decency to tell me to my face? You just ignore me and then find some other girl, who apparently you haven’t left her side in days.” Lily’s anger was dissipating and now she was close to tears at the hurt she felt.

“What? NO! Lily, I am so sorry but that is not it at all. I’m not leaving you. I love you!” He implored.

“No James. I won't just be tossed aside because you’re bored or whatever. I thought things were going well. What happened? I just don’t understand,” the Head Girl questioned.

James’s heart was breaking. He knew that by avoiding Lily she would probably be upset but he never thought she would think he was breaking up with her. And how she found out about Hermione already he didn’t know. The gossip mill was apparently working overtime at Hogwarts.

“Lily,” James whispered, “Please look at me.”

After a few minutes of her trying to control her tears, she looked up into James’s beautiful hazel eyes. “What can you possibly say to make this better?”

“I can’t tell you all of it right now, but please know that I love you and I don’t want to break up,” James started to say.

Lily interrupted, “Then what about the other girl?”

“It’s not what you think. She’s my sister,” James was finally able to get the news off his chest.

“What?” Lily asked bewildered. Whatever explanation she thought James could come up with, this was nowhere near what she was expecting. “Your sister? But James, I thought your sister died?” She tried to gently ask.

“I know. She was technically declared dead, but we never believed it. I’m not sure how it happened but a few nights ago I found her half dead on the grounds near the Greenhouses. My parents have been here and we’ve done a Familial Spell. It’s really Charlotte, well she goes by Hermione, I guess that was her name wherever she was. But she’s here and she’s alive,” the messy hair wizard informed her, with one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen on him.

“It’s truly her?” Lily couldn’t quite believe it. Of course she had heard bits and pieces about Charlotte Potter, James had told her some small details, but this was incredible. She couldn’t be happier for her boyfriend, though she did feel a bit guilty for yelling at him and not realizing that he was going through something huge.

James couldn’t wipe the grin off of his face, “It really is, and I want you to meet her!”

“What? James, I couldn’t. Not yet. You and your family should have time with her first. Get her settled, maybe sometime over the summer,” Lily stammered out, shocked that James wanted to include her in such a big family event.

“Nonsense, you are family. And she wants to meet you as well. Mum and Dad will be back tonight, and hopefully she will go home tomorrow. But we are all having dinner and I want you to be there. Sirius, Remus, and Peter will be there too if that makes you feel any better.”

“Really? You really want me to come? Even though I was so awful to you just now?” Lily inquired, still slightly self conscious at her outburst.

“Of course. I told you I love you Lily Evans. And no amount of yelling at me will change that,” he smiled and leaned down to steal a kiss from the beautiful red head. “Plus I may have deserved a little of that. I am truly sorry for making you feel unwanted. I never want you to feel that way.”

Lily wrapped her arms around James’s middle and laid her head on his chest, “I love you too James Potter.”

James knew that he messed up, but he never felt luckier that he had such a forgiving witch by his side, and despite his worries earlier in the week he now realized that he had been worrying for nothing. He loved Lily and she loved him. It didn’t matter how he proposed, at the end of the day all that mattered was that she said yes. With that in mind he realized he knew exactly what he wanted to do, though maybe waiting a few weeks until the family drama calmed down wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Pulling away from him Lily looked up at him, “Come on, we better go or we’ll be late for Charms.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the classroom, both happier than they had been in weeks.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the second chapter of the day. Please don't get spoiled. This will most likely be the only time I do a double update. I hope you enjoy though!

Charms was the last class of the day for the Marauders, and then they had a free period before dinner. The four boys decided to head back to the common room to drop their books off, while Lily chose to go to the library with her dorm mates to get a little studying done before meeting her boyfriend’s sister for the first time.

Back in the common room the four seventh years collapsed in front of the fireplace relishing in the moment of relaxation for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

James was the first one to break the silence. “Mates, how do you feel about having dinner in the Hospital Wing tonight? My parents are staying one more night before they take Hermione home tomorrow.”

“Are you serious?” Peter questioned.

Sirius opened his mouth but before he could say anything Remus interrupted. “Not a word Padfoot. It hasn’t been funny in about six years.”

The dark hair wizard mock glared at his friend but remained silent.

“Of course I am. You all need to meet her. She’ll obviously be around this summer. Besides, she was actually the one to suggest it. She’s eager to meet both of you, and Lily,” James informed them.

“Oh so you finally pulled your head out of your arse and spoke with your girlfriend?” Sirius teased.

James leveled him with a glare. “Yes. We spoke after Transfiguration if you must know. Anyway, dinner? Meeting my sister? Interested?”

“Of course we’ll have dinner with your family tonight. You didn’t even have to ask,” Remus answered.

“Brilliant!” The messy hair Marauder exclaimed before standing up and stretching. “Well just come to the Hospital Wing at dinner time. I’m headed there now. Are you coming Pads?” He addressed Sirius.

“Go on. You haven’t had much time with her just the two of you, at least while she has been conscious. I’ll come with these two later on.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later,” the Head Boy called as he headed out of the portrait hole.

James made it to the Hospital Wing in record time, excited to spend the evening with his sister, something he never thought he would be able to do.

“Good evening dear sister of mine!” He shouted as he burst through the doors.

Hermione looked up from her book at the older boy’s dramatic entrance and started giggling, he may look like Harry but their personalities were worlds apart.

“And what may I ask are you laughing at?” he mock glared at her, which only served to make her laugh even harder.

“Merlin, could you be any more dramatic?” She questioned once she was able to quiet her giggles.

James thought about it for a second before answering, “Why yes, yes I could.”

His answer only caused her to giggle again while rolling her eyes. “Well what are you doing here now? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Nope, free period for the last section of the day. Thought I would keep you company until dinner. Which, by the way, will include all four Marauders and my wonderful Lily-flower for your entertainment.”

“Ooh dinner and a show, must be my lucky day,” Hermione commented dryly.

“Absolutely!” James agreed with her. “Don’t worry. You’ll love them. They are all looking forward to it. I think Lily is a little nervous.”

“What’s she like?” Hermione asked. Despite knowing she would have the chance to get to know Lily Evans for herself, she was quite curious about her and James’ relationship.

“Who? Lily?” James asked, when Hermione nodded her head he continued. “She’s brilliant. Beautiful, smart, kind, thoughtful, wicked temper though. I’ve lost count of the number of times she’s hexed me.”

“Each one I’m sure was more than deserved,” the young witch chuckled.

“I will have you know….” James began. “Okay, yeah the majority of them were probably deserved, but I’m sure there are one or two she did just for the fun of it. You will get the chance to get to know her yourself though, don’t let me spoil all the fun. What have you been up to all afternoon?”

“Oh the usual, potions being forced down my throat, sitting in bed, more potions. Honestly I feel fine, I don’t understand why Madam Pomfrey feels the need to keep force feeding me. I just can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve spent more time in the Hospital Wing in my life than I would prefer.”

James looked horrified for a moment at the thought that his precious baby sister spent even a night in a Hospital Wing. “What do you mean? How much time have you actually spent in a hospital?”

Hermione paused looking at James’ face. “Oh nothing, you know just little scraps here and there,” she slightly fibbed. So maybe they weren’t all little scraps, but it’s not like she was going to tell him about how she spent months petrified due to a basilisk, or the time his best friend, in werewolf form, attacked her and his son before the dementors swarmed them. Though he would probably find the time she turned herself into a cat funny.

James scrutinized her face. What could her life have possibly been like? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know given the state that he found her, but he couldn’t help himself. “Tell me something about yourself?”

Hermione just looked at him with wide eyes at his question.

“Please,” he pleaded.

“Errr...well what do you want to know?” She wasn’t sure how to respond to his question. She couldn’t truly tell him anything, at least not yet.

“I don’t know. Anything. What’s one of your happiest memories?”

Hermione couldn’t help but smile thinking about Harry and Ron. Oddly enough the first thing that popped into her head was first year. “Well I grew up muggleborn. I didn’t find out about magic until I was 11 when I got my letter. Of course I thought it was amazing. It explained so much and I thought it explained why growing up I didn’t have many friends, but when I got to Ho - my school, well let’s just say I didn’t make friends instantaneously. There were these two boys and one of them liked to make fun of me. Well it was Halloween first year and the boy said something particularly nasty about me that I overheard, so I spent the rest of the evening and the Halloween feast in the bathroom. What I didn’t realize is that somebody had let a troll loose in the castle, which had somehow found its way to where I had been crying. The two boys realized that I didn’t know about the troll so they came looking for me, and luckily for me they got there just in time. One of them, Harry, jumped on the troll’s back to try and distract him, only to end up shoving his wand up the troll’s nose. The other boy, Ron, ultimately ended up knocking it out with it’s own club. After that we were inseparable. They were my best friends.”

“Where are they now?” James asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before James broke the silence. “Did your friend really stick his wand up a troll’s nose?”

Hermione burst out laughing, unable to contain her mirth. “He did, he really did.”

James joined her in laughter and this is how the two elder Potters found their children. They didn’t want to interrupt what was obviously a moment between the two. Their hearts swelled with happiness at the sight of having both their children together, happy and healthy, finally.

“Care to let your old parents in on the joke,” Charlus interrupted, walking forward out of Madam Pomfrey’s office, where they had just come out of her Floo.

Both Hermione and James looked up to see their parents striding towards them, but unable to stop laughing. James finally managed to wheeze out “troll bogies” which only sent Hermione into another fit of giggles.

Dorea huffed. “Now really James, you are eighteen-years old and you are laughing at troll bogies?”

It seemed to be contagious because a moment later Charlus joined in on their laughter, and shortly after so did Dorea. Another few moments of laughter passed before everybody managed to calm down, all with smiles on their faces.

“Well it is good to see the two of you getting along so well,” Dorea commented as she went to hug and kiss both of her children.

“How are you feeling princess?” Charlus inquired of his daughter.

“Much better, thank you. Though ready to get out of here. Please tell me Madam Pomfrey is letting me leave tomorrow?” Hermione begged.

“Yes, she is. But she’s requested to check on you in a week to make sure you aren’t overexerting yourself,” the youngest Potter was informed.

Hermione sighed, knowing that there was no way around that. “Alright. If it will get me out of here I’ll do just about anything.”

“Good. Now, your room at the manor is all ready for you, but you are more than welcome to make any changes you wish to it. I was also thinking in a few days, once you’ve gotten settled. The two of us could go to Diagon Alley, pick out some new robes for you and anything else you need. Would that be okay?” Dorea asked her daughter hopefully.

Hermione was not one really one to shop, but seeing the look on her mother’s face, how much she clearly just wanted to be with and make sure Hermione was comfortable and settled, she couldn’t do anything but say, “Of course, that sounds lovely.”

Dorea beamed, “Wonderful. We’ll make a day of it. Now James, how was the rest of your day?” She addressed her son.

“Boring. Studying for NEWTs. I swear the teachers are trying to kill us with everything they are trying to cram in. Oh! Peter, Remus, and Lily all agreed to have dinner with us tonight.”

“James, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Charlus began glancing at his daughter.

“I did ask before I just invited them,” the Potter heir protested.

“It really is okay. It was actually my idea. I don’t mind,” Hermione confirmed.

“Are you sure?” Dorea inquired of her daughter.

“Yes. I just want to start feeling normal again, and well I guess this is my new normal,” she said as she smiled weakly at her family.

Charlus and Dorea looked at each other with sad faces before Dorea took Hermione’s hand gently. “We know this must be difficult for you, and we don’t want to make this harder than it has to be. We have waited twelve years for you to come back into our lives, but we also acknowledge that you have another family out there. You said they are muggles, we wouldn’t be opposed to having them in our lives too. One can never have too much family.”

Hermione stared at the Potters with tears in her eyes. These people were so inherently good. They had lost their daughter and had only had her back for a few days but were willing to open their hearts to the people who she called Mum and Dad. They weren’t jealous or trying to be selfish by trying to force Hermione into a role she wasn’t ready for. Their only concern was for her comfort, safety, and happiness.

“Tha-thank you,” she finally managed to get out after a moment. “But that won’t be necessary. My parents aren’t around anymore. It’s just been me for awhile now, well me and some friends.”

“Well your friends are welcome any time as well,” Charlus added.

Hermione gave them a sad smile, “I had actually just told James when you walked in, I don’t know where they are. We were separated. Please, I promise I will tell you everything I can when we get back to Potter Manor.”

Both Charlus and Dorea observed her before acquiescing to her wishes.

“Alright,” Dorea agreed. “So what time is the cavalry showing up? And where is Sirius? I’m surprised he isn’t here bothering Hermione’s peace and quiet as well.”

“Sirius said he wanted to give us time alone to get to know each other,” James informed his family, “but I assume that they will all be here soon.”

The family of four sat and chatted for a while longer about nothing and everything, with Hermione contributing little due to being uncomfortable about potentially sharing too much. James regaled her with tales of his adventures at Hogwarts with the other Marauders, while her parents told stories of James growing up, and reminisced about both James and Hermione before she had disappeared.

Hermione enjoyed her time with her new found family, while it made her heart ache to think of her adoptive parents and Harry, there was something about being with the Potter family that was calming. She didn’t know if it was due to her acceptance of her situation or if this had something to do with the family magic the Headmaster had told her about, but either way she was very content for the time being.

Eventually the Potter family was distracted by a loud disturbance outside the doors of the Hospital Wing. They burst open and in toppled Remus, who had been tackled by Sirius, with Peter following the two in laughing hysterically at the hyper Black heir. It seemed that none of them were surprised at Sirius’s antics if the eye rolls that all of the Potter’s exhibited were anything to go by.

What did surprise Hermione, though, was both Remus and Peter. Remus was quite handsome and had an air of confidence about him that he never exuded when she knew him in her time. He didn’t have any greys peppering his sandy colored hair, there were no scars on his face, and he looked healthier than she had ever seen him. It appeared that while Azkaban had ravaged Sirius of his good looks, the years Remus spent battling Moony alone took its toll on the werewolf.

A young Peter Pettigrew was absolutely nothing like she expected. While Hermione still would have recognized Remus despite how much he had changed, she did not think she would have recognized Peter. Unlike the man who had been living as a rat for thirteen years, seventeen-year old Peter Pettigrew was actually quite attractive in a cute boyish sort of way. If she didn’t know what he was capable of, she never would have guessed that this boy who seemed so full of life could ever betray his friends. No wonder he was never suspected to be the traitor.

“Mum! Dad! Splendid to see you again!” Sirius shouted across the room as he made his way over to his family. He then promptly sat himself down on James’s lap. “How have you been? It’s been too long!”

James tossed his best friend off of his lap, glaring at him. “You saw them this morning Pads.”

“It’s been 10 whole hours, a lot can happen in 10 hours Prongs,” Sirius replied with a serious expression as he picked himself up off the floor.

James rolled his eyes, while Dorea smiled indulgently at her other son. “We are quite well Sirius. Remus, Peter how are you both?” The Potter matriarch addressed the other two boys.

Both informed her they were well, simply studying for NEWTs and preparing for life after Hogwarts while Charlus conjured some more chairs for the new additions to their group.

James then interrupted their pleasantries. “Moony, Wormtail allow me to introduce my sister. Hermione,” he introduced with a great deal of flare.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his dramatics while sticking out her hand to shake. “It's nice to meet you both.”

Remus was the first to shake her hand in greeting. “You as well. I'm Remus. We've heard a lot about you. How are you feeling?”

“Much better. Thank you,” she responded before turning to Peter. She didn't really want to talk to the rat but she couldn't very well single him out and she truly wanted to see if there was anything she could do to stop him from switching sides. “Hello, I'm Hermione.”

“Peter. Nice to meet you,” he spoke while shaking her hand and giving her a wide smile.

Hermione gave him a shy smile in return before turning back to James. “So I've met all your friends. Where is Lily?”

James chuckled. “Most likely still in the library. She tends to get lost in her books sometimes. Especially when we have tests coming up. I'm sure she’ll surface in the next few minutes or so. If not I'll go get her.”

“Ah, a girl after my own heart. I love libraries. All those books,” Hermione said with a smile. She thought back to her sixth year, before things got really bad, and how much she treasured her solitude in the library. No evil ministry hags pretending to be teachers, no Harry insisting that Malfoy was a Death Eater, no basilisks, trolls, or escaped convicts. Just her and her books.

“Not you too? I already have to put up with Moony and Lily spending way too much time in there. I'll have to drag you out of our library this summer won't I?” James complained.

Hermione laughed. “Most likely.”

James and Sirius groaned while the other occupants of the Hospital Wing laughed, and they didn't hear the doors open.

“Hello, am I interrupting something?” A feminine voice inquired.

James jumped up and ran over to the red head. “Lily!” He then leaned down to gently kiss her cheek and led her over to the bed where he sat her down in the chair he had occupied while conjuring another for himself.

“This is my sister, Hermione. Hermione, this is Lily,” James beamed.

Lily smiled shyly, nervous at meeting the other girl. She was still very aware she had accused James earlier of trying to leave her for this girl. Now that she saw her though, well it was quite obvious they were siblings. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well. James tells me you spend inordinate amounts of time in the library. You’ll have to tell me the best places to study there for next year,” Hermione smiled. Of course she already knew her favorite places to study but it would give her something to bond with Lily over.

“Of course!” Lily exclaimed excitedly. “When are you going home? I can always bring you some things to read to keep you occupied if you’ll be here for a few more days.”

“Thank you, but it seems as if I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I assume I’ll be seeing more of you when school lets out. You can recommend some of your favorites to keep me occupied until then though.”

James couldn’t be happier that it seemed the love of his life and his sister would be able to get along. It would make for some uncomfortable family dinners if they didn’t.

Sirius then clapped his hands together and interrupted, “Alright, now that the introductions are over I’m hungry. When are we eating?”

“Patience is a virtue you know, Sirius,” Charlus chuckled. “Madame Pomfrey said she would have the house elves send up food when they serve dinner in the Great Hall. It should be soon.”

As if he had planned it, eight trays of food appeared on a table at the end of Hermione’s bed where her potions were usually laid out. Seven of them seemed to be the meal that was being served to the student body while the eighth was a light vegetable soup with some warm bread for Hermione. Unfortunately she was still on a strict diet and vitamin potions until Madame Pomfrey said otherwise. She didn’t want to shock her system after being malnourished for so long.

The trays were passed out and the group chatted about school, plans following their school careers, and anything else that came up. It wasn’t long before Peter spoke up and asked Hermione, “So where did you go to school Hermione?”

Caught off guard a little by being addressed directly by Peter she choked a little on her soup. She really had to work on her reactions to him if she was going to act normally. “Oh, ummm a school in Australia. My family and I moved there when I was 10.”

“Australia? That’s nice,” Remus sounded surprised. “I’m sure it’s quite different being back in England.”

“You could say that. It was definitely a bit of a shock to wake up here I can assure you,” Hermione tried to laugh at the irony of her statement. It was a shock to wake up, not in Hogwarts but in 1978. “Well nothing to be done about it now. I’m here, and I most likely won’t be going back.”

“You can go back to visit if you’d like. We could go with you,” Dorea offered gently. 

Hermione smiled at her mother sadly, “It’s okay. No need.”

Despite the somber mood that had fallen on the group, dinner continued quite peacefully with Sirius and James trying to lighten everybody up by telling more tales of their adventures at Hogwarts to Hermione.

The seventh year students eventually dispersed leaving Hermione with her parents for the remainder of the night, with James and Sirius promising to come and visit before the three left the following day.

“Thank you for indulging James tonight darling,” Dorea addressed her daughter with a smile. “The four of them are practically attached at the hip, and Lily is most likely going to be around for a long time as well.”

“Of course, like I said earlier, this is our new normal. Might as well get used to it now.” Hermione said around a yawn.

“Alright, to bed with you. Do you need me to get Madame Pomfrey for some Dreamless Sleep?” the elder witch asked.

“Please. Just another night or two and then I’ll try sleeping without it.”

Dorea went into the matron’s office and came back with the purple potion already measured out. Hermione downed it and was asleep within minutes.

After she had fallen asleep both Potter’s indulged themselves by tucking their daughter in with a kiss to her head, something they didn’t think they would tire of doing anytime soon, before climbing into the bed they had enlarged the previous night and drifting off to sleep as well.

The following morning passed quickly. James and Sirius joined their family for breakfast before heading off to their lessons for the day. James gave his sister a tight hug telling her how happy he was she was home and that he would see her in a few weeks. They departed the Hospital Wing with a final wave. 

Madame Pomfrey then came out and waved away the elder Potters to give Hermione a final check-up before releasing her into the care of her parents. She left Hermione with strict instructions not to over exert herself, as well as a list of potions she wanted her to take over the next week, and a nutrition plan to allow Hermione’s body to re-adjust to eating regular meals. The matron would visit in a week to determine her overall health and if she still needed to continue with the potion regimen.

Finally Madame Pomfrey declared she was fit to be released and she would let the Headmaster know as he wanted to speak with the family before they left. Very shortly after she Flooed the older wizard, he came sweeping into the Hospital Wing.

“Charlus, Dorea, Hermione. How are the three of you this morning?” Professor Dumbledore addressed the family with an air of familiarity.

“We’re well, Albus. Glad to be taking Hermione home today. Madame Pomfrey said you wanted to speak to us before we left though. What can we do for you?” Charlus spoke to the Headmaster.

“I would like to apologize for yesterday. It was not my intention to insult you or your family. I am simply concerned about Hermione’s safety just as you are. With that said, I would like to offer my assistance and knowledge whenever you are ready to talk about your experiences back home.” He acknowledged both the Potter parents, as well as Hermione directly.

“Thank you Albus,” Dorea responded for her and Charlus, “We appreciate the apology. You know we would never do anything that harms any of our children, and that includes Remus and Peter as well.”

“Headmaster,” Hermione began, “While I understand your hesitance and concern, you have no right to dictate my life outside of this school. You may be a great and well respected wizard, but you are not infallible. No offence intended but I fear you may forget this at times.” She understood that he was so used to being listened to and not questioned, but that is what got people killed. She couldn’t let that happen. Not this time. While she may not fully trust him, she was aware she would have to work with him to achieve her goals, so she would knock him down a peg or two if need be.

“Hermione!” Dorea began to admonish, a little shocked at how candid her daughter was being with Dumbledore.

The wizard in question put his hand up to stop Dorea from speaking, “It’s alright Dorea, your daughter is quite correct. When one is given too much influence and power, it can corrupt and cloud the mind. I am not immune to this. I will endeavor to do better in the future. And whatever you choose to do with your knowledge Hermione, know that I only have the best interests of our world in mind and will help in any way that I can.”

“Thank you Professor. I will keep that in mind.”

With a nod of his head and quick goodbyes to the trio, Dumbledore departed the Hospital Wing. Hermione then gathered her things back in her little beaded bag, much to the surprise of her parents that she had any possessions on her, and the three took the Floo from Madam Pomfrey’s office with a shout of “Potter Manor”.

Hermione stepped out of the Floo following her parents and felt as if she had stepped into what appeared to be an enlarged version of the Gryffindor Common Room. There was a thick, dark, burgundy carpet covering the floor, with a grouping of dark red couches with gold trim in the center of the room. The door leading to the rest of the manor was directly across from the fireplace Hermione stepped out of, and along the wall to her left was a bookshelf spanning the entire wall. To the right of her was a large window and a set of french doors leading out to a large veranda and gardens beyond that.

“Pippy,” Dorea called, and a house elf popped up next to her.

The little elf’s eyes went wide at the sight of Hermione, “Little Miss is home! Oh Pippy is so happy her little miss cames back! Pippy will brings you anything yous need. Pippy has missed her little miss so much.”

Hermione’s eyes went a little wide at the house elf’s exuberance. “Er...hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you?”

“Meets me? Yous was my little miss before yous went away, but now yous back and Pippy can takes care of yous again. Is there anything little miss needs? Mistress, Master?” Pippy addressed them all, practically vibrating with excitement.

Charlus chuckled in the background as he sat on one of the couches, and Dorea addressed the excited elf, “We’ll take some tea please for the moment Pippy, and if you could prepare some light sandwiches for lunch.”

Pippy popped away and a minute or so later returned with a tea tray and placed it on the side table situated next to where Dorea sat.

“Is theres anything else Pippy can do?”

“No, that is all Pippy. Thank you,” Dorea dismissed the elf.

“You have a house elf?” Hermione asked a little incredulously. “I do not need an elf taking care of me. I am perfectly capable of cleaning up after myself.”

“Hermione, do you know how excited that little elf is that you are here? She started crying she was so happy when we told her to ready your room. She was practically inconsolable when you disappeared. She blamed herself that she didn’t stop it, even though there was no way for her to know anything. You’ll break her heart if you tell her you don’t need her,” Charlus informed his daughter. 

“House elf servitude is slavery,” Hermione argued.

“House elves need to serve. It’s part of their magic. If they don’t have a bond to a witch or wizard their magic will drain them. Their magic needs to be supported by our magic, it requires a balance,” he tried to reason with her.

“It’s barbaric. Wizards force their elves to injure themselves,” the curly haired witch shot back.

“I agree. Some wizards abuse the bond their house elves entrust them with, but I promise you our family is not one to do that. We treat our elves with kindness and respect. After all, they are the ones that make our food, and I for one don’t want that to ever be messed with,” Charlus joked trying to lighten the mood a little, and to get his daughter to smile.

Despite herself Hermione did grin a little, “I don’t want to bond with any house elves though.”

“That’s fine. They are bound to your father and I. That will only pass to you or James once we pass on, which will not be for a very long time,” Dorea assured her, jumping into the conversation between the two. “Now let’s have some tea and discuss a few things. I know Charlus and I have had questions about to spill out of us for the past day or so.”

“Alright,” Hermione acquiesced. “Tea sounds good.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday everybody! First of all WOW! A lot has happened in the past week. Show of hands who is participating in social distancing? All of you? Great! So proud, haha. 
> 
> But in all seriousness, I really hope all of you are taking the proper precautions while COVID-19 has been going around. I know it's been a tough few weeks for the whole world, but hopefully everybody will start listening to the WHO and the CDC and the world can kick this pandemic's butt! Personally for me this has been tough. I live with my grandparents but am still required to go in to work a few days a week, so because of this I made the decision to not go home which means I am temporarily homeless (yay!). For real though I have some amazing friends who are letting me and my cat couch surf since they are not immunocompromised. In addition to this I have a mom who is a nurse on a pulmonary and infectious disease unit so she is on the front lines and I am constantly worried about her. PLUS my sister is 8 months pregnant, and less than 2 weeks ago we had her baby shower. Unfortunately since then one of the guests has been diagnosed with coronavirus. My sister has not been experiencing any symptoms but until she hits that 14 day mark we are all holding our breath. 
> 
> ANYWAY, I am sorry for the long note but I just wanted to give you guys an update about my life. Due to all of this I will continue to post weekly for as long as I possibly can but if anything happens with my family the updates may temporarily be suspended. I appreciate your understanding with this. Thank you again for reading and I hope you all enjoy the Potter's reaction to Hermione's story. 
> 
> Stay healthy everybody!

After the tea had been prepared, the three settled in the sitting room, Hermione across from her parents. “I know you both have questions, though there are some things I don’t know, but I will tell you everything I can,” she began.

“I believe we would first like to know how you ended up at Hogwarts in the state that you did?” Dorea questioned.

Hermione bit her lip, unsure how to start. It would be easier to just tell them everything without them asking questions. Otherwise her answers wouldn’t make sense. She had already decided to tell them everything, but she hadn’t decided how. Would it be best to tell them all at once or slowly let them get used to the idea that their daughter had been raised in the future alongside their grandson and then tell them about Voldemort? Figuring it would be best to get it all out of the way, like ripping off a plaster, she decided to take the plunge.

“It will probably be best if I start from the beginning. Maybe just leave your questions for later?” she asked.

At their agreement she began, “As you know I was raised as a Muggleborn.” 

With their simultaneous nods she took a deep breath and continued, “By the name of Hermione Granger, and I grew up believing that I was born on September 19th, 1979.”

Both Dorea and Charlus gasped. 

“That’s not possible. That’s not for another year,” Dorea managed to get out after recovering slightly from her shock.

“I know, and I would have thought it impossible as well, but it is. As I said, I grew up in London with two Muggle parents, both dentists, and when I turned 11, Professor McGonagall came to my house to deliver my letter. It actually made a lot of sense. I was able to do things nobody else could. It took Professor McGonagall a little longer to convince my parents, but it just felt right to me. Anyway, I went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor during my first year.”

“Gryffindor? You’re a Gryffindor?” Charlus asked excitedly, speaking up for the first time since Dorea served the tea, unable able to hide the immense pride in his eyes at hearing his daughter had been sorted into his house.

Hermione smiled. “Well I was almost a Ravenclaw, but yes I am a Gryffindor. Anyway, to answer your first question, the reason James found me the way he did is because I was already at Hogwarts. There was a battle. Death Eaters had taken over the castle and, well it’s complicated, and quite a long story, but the students who were of legal age and the Order were fighting. We were trying to end it. I was separated from my friends by a Death Eater. He pushed us away from the battle and forced a potion on me, hit me with some sort of spell that hurt like mad, then another spell and a white light. The next thing I know I’m waking up in the Hospital Wing to a man who is supposed to be dead.”

“Dead? Who?” Dorea wondered aloud.

“In my time, Professor Dumbledore died the year previously.”

“How?” Charlus whispered, while Dorea was shocked into silence, a look of disbelief on her face.

“That’s part of the long story,” Hermione answered with a sigh, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get through everything without interruptions like that.

“You said the Order. What do you know about the Order?” Charlus wanted to know.

“Quite a lot actually. I spent a couple of summers with my two best friends staying at the Order’s headquarters.”

“Why would they let children stay at Order headquarters? You are nowhere near old enough to be involved.” Dorea demanded.

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was involved, as well as my friends,” Hermione said with a slightly bitter tone to her voice. She had missed out on so much growing up, her childhood had ended almost as soon as she had entered the magical world. Hermione, Harry, and Ron were always right in the thick of things, and while she wouldn’t change doing everything she could to help Harry, a part of her wished she had the opportunity to just be a kid. To not be fighting for her life almost every year.

“Let’s go back to what you said yesterday about you fighting since you were twelve. Hmm?” Dorea fixed Hermione with a gimlet stare.

The curly haired witch grimaced. “Yes well, that goes back to my first year. As I said I was sorted into Gryffindor, and that is where I met my two best friends. Ron Weasley and,” at this Hermione paused for a moment. She knew she would have to tell them Harry’s story, and she knew how much this would hurt them, but she also knew that they could stop this from happening. “And Harry Potter.”

Dorea gasped while Charlus looked a little dumbstruck. “Harry..” Dorea began.

“James’s son.” Hermione smiled thinking of the messy haired boy with emerald green eyes.

“And his mother?” Dorea pressed for more information.

The younger witch chuckled a little sadly, “Lily is his mother. From what I was told they were very happy.”

Dorea’s smile fell a little as she caught the tone of her daughter’s voice, “What you were told? Did you not know them?”

“Harry’s life, well he didn’t have it easy. In a couple of years, there will be a prophecy that predicts the downfall of Voldemort. It says that a boy born at the end of July will have the power to destroy the Dark Lord. It could have been one of two boys, but he decides that it’s Harry. The three of them go into hiding but ultimately are found. Both Lily and James die trying to protect their son. James tried to hold him off to give Lily time to run, but she couldn’t get away. Lily ultimately refused to stand aside and sacrificed her own life for Harry’s. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, it backfired because of the protection Lily had created for him by sacrificing her life for her son’s.” Hermione paused seeing the looks on the Potter’s faces; both were horror stricken at the fate that awaited their son and future daughter-in-law. “Would you like me to stop for now? I can tell you the rest later.”

“N—No,” Charlus managed to get out, his arm around his wife who seemed to be in shock. Her baby boy dead in just three short years. Her grandson an orphan before he can even remember his parents.

“What happens next?” The Potter Matriarch choked out.

“Voldemort is destroyed temporarily, what remains of him flees the country, and Dumbledore sends Harry to Lily’s sister-”

“Lily’s sister?” Dorea interrupted. “And why are we not given custody of our grandson?” She demanded in outrage.

“I don’t know how, but all I know is the Dursley’s were Harry’s only living relatives. Dumbledore had other reasons to send him there, something about Blood Wards and protection offered by living with somebody who shares the same blood as his mother.”

“So we die within three years as well then,” Charlus figured sadly, glancing at his wife who had a look of pure defiance on her face. His wife was as stubborn as they come and she looked as if she was practically daring the fates to take her from this world before she had a chance to take down the wizard who dared to harm her family.

“Not necessarily. I don’t know how it happened the first time around but if we can prevent your deaths as well as James and Lily’s, we will,” the youngest Potter argued, while looking warily at her Mum. She could see a little of that pesky Black insanity peeking out. 

“Now as I said, I met Harry and Ron our first year. It took a little to become friends, but we did after they saved me from a troll that a Professor, who was being possessed by Voldemort, let in as a distraction on Halloween.”

“I’m sorry did you say a Professor was possessed by Voldemort? And he let a troll loose in the castle?” Charlus said a little incredulously. At Hermione’s nod, he muttered, “I think I need something a little stronger than tea.” He got up and went to pour himself and his wife a glass of firewhiskey.

“Well, we realized later that the troll was a distraction so the Professor could attempt to get past the Cerberus that was guarding Nicholas Flamel’s Philosopher’s Stone that was hidden on the third floor, that year it was forbidden for students. As I quickly learned, Harry could never leave well enough alone, and by the end of the year when we figured the Professor was going to go after the stone, we followed him. Harry made it to the very end where he faced Voldemort again and was able to stop him from getting the stone and returning to full power.”

“That was your first year?” Dorea exclaimed.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“What was Albus thinking? Hiding something that valuable in a school. Locking up a Cerberus where any student could stumble upon it!” she continued, ignoring her daughter’s comment.

“Please! What’s done is done, err...sort of. I guess it will happen? I’m not sure. Time travel is a little tricky, especially with me being so far in the past. I’m not really sure what will happen. Every little detail that is changed could have huge consequences. But the point is we all survived, the stone was ultimately destroyed, and Fluffy was removed from the school.”

“Fluffy?” Charlus questioned, “The Cerberus? Who would name a three-headed dog Fluffy?”

“Who do you think?” Hermione snorted. “Hagrid of course.”

Charlus rolled his eyes but allowed his daughter to continue.

“Now I don’t think you really want me to go into details about the next few years,” Hermione tried to move on.

“No please, I think details would be best,” Dorea suggested with a look that said it wasn’t actually a suggestion. Despite the two having never met, it was oddly reminiscent of Helen Granger’s look whenever Hermione tried to gloss over what had happened each year when she returned home for the summer. Maybe it was a mother thing.

“Alright, but I should warn you it does get worse.”

Charlus gestured as if to say ‘go on’ while Dorea continued to give her a penetrating stare, both taking a sip of their firewhiskey to brace themselves for what was to come.

“Well, second year started out normal enough, minus the fact that Harry and Ron flew an enchanted car to school when they couldn’t get through to the platform,” Hermione started telling the next part of the tale.

Charlus and Dorea just snorted and shook their heads, both thinking that was exactly something the son of James Potter would do.

Hermione continued, “Until Halloween that is, when Harry, Ron, and I found the caretaker’s cat petrified and hung up in the middle of a corridor with a message saying the Heir of Slytherin had opened the Chamber of Secrets. It caused everybody to panic obviously. Harry always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when it came out that he was a Parselmouth, everybody began to think he was the Heir of Slytherin. He had been hearing voices and because of this I was able to figure out that Slytherin’s monster was a Basilisk. Unfortunately, before I could tell anybody, I was petrified. Harry and Ron were able to figure out where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was. When Ron’s sister Ginny was taken into the chamber, Harry and Ron went after her. It was discovered that she was the one to open the Chamber after being possessed by a soul fragment of Voldemort’s that he had stored in an old school diary. She had been writing in it all year, and he was able to drain her life to help aid him in gaining power. Harry was able to kill the Basilisk, destroy the diary, and save Ginny. As well as preventing Voldemort from returning once again.”

“Parselmouth! How? That doesn’t run in our family,” Charlus exclaimed.

“Kill the...he was twelve! And you were petrified! How? I just don’t understand how all of this could go on at Hogwarts with Dumbledore there!” Dorea practically screeched at the same time as her husband. She couldn’t believe it. Her grandson faced Voldemort three times before he turned thirteen and lived! Her daughter was petrified by a Basilisk!

“Too many questions!” Hermione interrupted her parents’ tirade, “First, the night that Voldemort tried to kill Harry when he was a baby, it’s believed that some of his powers were transferred. Since Voldemort could speak Parseltongue, so could Harry. Second, well...Dumbledore wasn’t there. A little more than halfway through the year the Board of Governor’s suspended him from his post. I believe that he knew it was Voldemort behind the attacks, he just didn’t know how. When Ginny was taken, Dumbledore returned to the castle, but Harry and Ron had already gone into the chamber themselves. As I said in the Hospital Wing, he is a great wizard, but he isn’t infallible. I’ve known him to make many mistakes all which at the time he thought he was acting in the best interest of everybody. Something good did come out of it though, Harry was able to give Dumbledore the diary and based on Harry’s account, he was able to figure out how to bring down Voldemort.”

“What do you mean?” Charlus questioned.

“I said the diary contained a soul fragment of Voldemort’s. He created what is called a Horcrux. It’s the darkest magic you could possibly come across. To create one is incredibly barbaric, it involves murder and a number of other things. By sixth year Dumbledore finally revealed to Harry, who then told us, that he had created six Horcruxes, and the seventh soul fragment was in Voldemort himself. Voldemort couldn’t die until they were all destroyed. I believe at this time there are only five Horcruxes. He creates the sixth when he is resurrected to full power.”

“And when is that?” Dorea inquired, her face a mask of poise but her tone betraying how unnerved she was.

“He returns at the end of our fourth year. I’ll explain that as much as I can when I get to it, but Harry was the only one besides a Death Eater, and Voldemort himself who was there for that, and Harry didn’t want to give us any details. We also never asked, we didn’t want to put him through reliving that,” Hermione informed them.

“Alright, well what happened your third year? I suspect another daring escape from death’s clutches again?” Dorea asked sarcastically. 

“Well yes but surprisingly Voldemort does not make an appearance. This...well this will be quite difficult I expect. You view James’s friends as your own children as well? Especially Sirius?”

“Yes, of course we do. Sirius has been living with us full time for over two years now, as for the other two they are over as much as they can be.” Charlus informed his daughter.

“I told you that Voldemort found the Potter’s despite the fact they were hiding. What I didn’t say is that a Fidelius Charm had been performed and they were betrayed by their Secret Keeper. I want you to know that I am not convinced their Secret Keeper will still switch sides, this is what happened in my past. He could be irredeemable, but I just—I just don’t know. Everybody thought that Sirius was the Secret Keeper for the Potters but,” she managed to get out before her mother cut her off.

“No!” Dorea exclaimed interrupting Hermione, “Sirius would never do that!”

“Dorea,” She tried to interrupt.

“He would die before he led James and Lily to their deaths,”

“Dorea!”

“And I’m sure he would feel the same about any children they have!”

“Mum!” Hermione finally shouted, trying to get Dorea’s attention. She was beginning to rant, bordering on hysterics.

Dorea immediately quieted, more out of shock that Hermione referred to her as Mum than anything.

“Thank you,” Hermione continued, “As I was saying everybody thought that Sirius was the Secret Keeper, but he wasn’t. It was apparently him trying to be clever. He suggested somebody else, but then leaked that he still was the Secret Keeper, so Death Eaters went after him instead of the real one. The only people that knew the truth were Sirius, James, Lily, and the real Secret Keeper. Not even Dumbledore knew. When Sirius discovered that Pe—Peter betrayed James and Lily, he went after him. Peter, unfortunately, got the better of Sirius. He shouted for everybody to hear that Sirius betrayed the Potters before cutting his finger off, so it looked like he had been blown up, and then blowing up the street they were on himself. He then disappeared leaving Sirius to take the fall for everything, including the twelve Muggles who died in the explosion. Sirius was then arrested and thrown into Azkaban without a trial.”

“Azkaban?!” Charlus cried incredulously, “With no trial? That’s outrageous! What was the Ministry thinking!”

“What does this have to do with your third year, dear?” Dorea asked, ignoring her husband’s outburst, despite the fact she was absolutely seething at what awaited her sons in the future. She couldn’t quite believe that quiet, sweet Peter Pettigrew could betray James and Lily that way, but she would wait to pass judgement. It seemed that not everything was as it appeared.

“Everything actually. The summer between my second and third year Sirius escaped from Azkaban. Since it was believed he was Voldemort’s right hand man, it was believed he must have used dark magic to escape. Everybody thought that he was going after Harry, in hopes that killing Harry would bring back his old master,” Hermione started telling the events of her third year. “We later learned this wasn’t the case, but it’s not until the end of the year. Third year was a little hectic for me. This isn’t my first experience with time travel, I was granted permission to use a time turner to take all of the classes offered, I ended up overtaxing myself slightly, but ultimately it turned out for the best. See, the Ministry decided to station Dementors around Hogwarts as a way of catching Sirius, since they thought he would head there first. While they weren’t wrong about that, they were wrong as to the reason.”

“And what was the real reason Sirius felt the need to go to Hogwarts once he left Azkaban?” Dorea wondered aloud.

“How much do you know about James and his friends? Any of their secrets? Such as what they do once a month?” Hermione asked, hoping they already knew because if they didn’t Hermione was sure she was about to get her new big brother and his friends into some kind of trouble.

Her Mum and Dad just snorted. “You mean their reckless and ingenious plan to keep Remus company? Yes we know all about what they decided to do,” Dorea informed Hermione. “Incredibly dangerous thing to do, but we didn’t find out until after they had already accomplished it.”

“Well good, that makes this a little easier. Sirius escaped Azkaban as a dog since Dementors don’t affect animals as they do people, but he decided to go to Hogwarts since that is where Peter was hiding in his Animagus form as Ron’s pet rat, a pet rat that had been in his family for twelve years.” Hermione rolled her eyes, what common non-magical rat lives for twelve years and nobody thinks to question it? “Ron and his family were on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and Sirius caught a glimpse of Scabbers sitting on Ron’s shoulder. He immediately recognized the rat and realized that Peter was in a perfect position to harm Harry if Voldemort ever did return to full power.”

“So Sirius escaped to protect Harry?” Charlus acknowledged.

“Yes. James and Lily named Sirius Harry’s godfather. He loved him so much, he would have done anything for him,” Hermione nodded in confirmation.

“I’ve been wondering, if we didn’t make it to the end of the War, Sirius was in prison, Peter decided to live as a rat, where is Remus in all of this?” Dorea queried.

Hermione gave them both a sad smile. “Remus was left alone. He wasn’t allowed Harry due to the wards Dumbledore erected around the Dursley’s and because of his condition, but that year he was our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, the best one we’ve ever had to be honest. Taught Harry the Patronus Charm that year too.”

“The Patronus Charm? He learned it at thirteen?” Charlus said in wonderment.

“Yes. It became somewhat of a specialty of his. Harry ended up teaching a bunch of us during our fifth year. You know Remus never came out and said it, but I believe he wanted to teach that year so he could keep an eye on Harry. He believed Sirius had been the traitor. I know he felt as if he had failed James and Lily, he wanted to make it up to them by protecting Harry. Anyway, at the end of the year Sirius, in his Animagus form dragged Ron through the Whomping Willow tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. Of course, Harry and I followed, and Remus saw us go through on an enchanted map that they had all created when they were still at Hogwarts. It was there that everything came out. Remus and Sirius forced Peter to transform, Sirius was able to tell Harry the truth, and Harry stopped Remus and Sirius from killing Peter. He convinced them to hand Peter over to the Dementors, so Sirius could go free. Unfortunately, it was the full moon, and we had forgotten. Remus transformed, and Sirius managed to get him away from us. Sirius ended up being captured and was going to be Kissed, but that is where my time turner comes in. Dumbledore gave Harry and I instructions to help save Sirius since the Ministry didn’t believe us when we told them what really happened. We went back a few hours and broke Sirius out just before the Dementors were brought in.”

“I’m sorry. So you thought it was a good idea to follow a random, stray dog through a secret tunnel when an escaped convict who was believed to have murdered thirteen people and betray his best friends to the evilest wizard in recent history was on the loose and in the general vicinity of where you were instead of getting somebody in a position of authority to help? Did I get that right?” Dorea asked as calmly as she possibly could.

Hermione paused. Looking back she knew they didn’t always make the best decisions, but at the moment it had seemed to be the only option. Despite the outward calm appearance that Dorea was portraying, Hermione didn’t think she actually was. “Yes…” she said hesitantly.

“What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?” Dorea yelled, jumping up from her seat and pacing in front of the couch she was seated on. “While I know Sirius would never harm any of you, you did not know that at the time! How could you be so reckless? You said you were almost put in Ravenclaw. There has to be some ounce of logic in there! This is your fault you know!” Dorea rounded on Charlus.

“My fault?” Charlus sputtered, disbelieving his wife was blaming him. “How is this my fault?”

“Your family is the Gryffindor side. You’re the one that passed on these reckless tendencies to our children, and apparently our grandchild!”

Hermione started giggling. She knew this probably wasn’t the best time to start laughing, but she just couldn’t help it.

“And just what are you laughing at young lady? This is not funny. We should ground you. All the school rules you were clearly breaking, putting yourself in danger like that. Going after stones and convicts, wandering around the school alone when a Basilisk is on the loose,” Dorea demanded of her daughter. 

Dorea wasn’t necessarily angry, just worried. If this was only Hermione’s third year, Voldemort hadn’t even returned yet. She knew that even worse things were to come and she didn’t know how she was going to handle it. Madame Pomfrey had told them about her scars. When did she get those? How did she get into a situation where somebody could carve a racial slur into a child’s arm?

“I’m sorry,” Hermione began. “You’re right it’s not funny at all. It’s just when you’re friends with Harry, logic most of the time goes out the window. I would try and reason with him most of the time, but he was incredibly stubborn. We would mostly follow him to make sure that he didn't end up dead. Where Harry went, Ron and I did too. Since that first year when we went after the stone, really when they saved me from the troll, we would have never let him face anything alone.” 

Dorea stared at her daughter for a moment before muttering about “stubborn Gryffindors” before sitting down again and then gesturing for Hermione to continue.

“Even though we weren’t able to prove Sirius innocence, Harry did finally have family out there who loved him. It helped him immensely,” Hermione continued her story. “And despite the Werewolf and Dementors, I’d say that was probably the least dangerous year we had.”

Charlus narrowed his eyes slightly, “Surprisingly that does not comfort us much.”

Hermione grimaced, “No I would expect not.”

“Please just continue,” Dorea practically begged. “I would like to get through this as quickly as possible.”

“Well, the next year was when things started to get bad. At the Quidditch World Cup, there was a Death Eater attack; the first one since Voldemort’s downfall. Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, they attacked the Muggles who were running the campsites but the Ministry was able to prevent any lasting damage. However, they did cause quite a bit of destruction. We all made it back to the Weasleys unharmed and then headed to Hogwarts a few days later. Unfortunately, instead of a quiet year, Professor Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts would be hosting the TriWizard Tournament that year. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students stayed with us for the whole year. On Halloween that year the Goblet of Fire announced four champions instead of three. Of course, Harry was the fourth champion.”

At that Charlus snorted, “Naturally. He does have a habit of getting into trouble doesn’t he?”

Hermione laughed. “Harry used to say he never went looking for trouble, trouble always found him. He hated his fame and hated anything that brought him even more attention unless it was Quidditch, so being a TriWizard Champion was definitely not something he wanted, not that many people believed him. Most of the school, as well as the press, turned on him. It was awful; luckily he managed to make it through the first two tasks with only a little bit of trouble. He did quite well for only being fourteen while the three other champions were seventeen.”

“Do we even want to know what the tasks were?” Dorea asked while rubbing her temples.

“Probably not.”

“Please just continue then.” Hermione was instructed.

“Well the third task seemed to be the easiest. All the champions had to do was get to the center of a maze where the TriWizard Cup was hidden. The first person to make it to the cup won. Harry and the other Hogwarts champion were the ones to make it to the center of the maze. They agreed to take it together saying it would still be a Hogwarts victory, but the cup turned out to be a Portkey and took the both of them to a graveyard where Peter and Voldemort were waiting. Cedric was killed instantly, and Harry was tied up. Peter completed a ritual using Harry that brought Voldemort back to full strength. I don’t know exactly what happened in the graveyard. Harry didn’t like to talk about it, but somehow he was able to get back to the cup and bring Cedric and himself back to Hogwarts. Despite everything Harry didn’t die that night like Voldemort planned so he was able to inform Professor Dumbledore immediately, and he was able to reform the Order only a few hours after Voldemort’s return to power.”

Both of the elder Potters were horrified about what their grandson was forced to endure. Fourteen years old having faced Voldemort four times, coming out of the encounters alive all four times, yet witnessing horrors no child should ever have to. How much more was he supposed to endure?

“How did the cup become a Portkey? Surely it wasn’t anybody within Hogwarts?” Dorea questioned.

“Actually it was. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor that year was actually a Death Eater,” Hermione began to answer.

“Dumbledore would never knowingly hire a Death Eater,” Charlus protested.

“He didn’t. Well not really. Before the school year started our professor’s house was broken into, and he was overpowered. He was forced to spend the year being held captive in his trunk while a Death Eater impersonated him using Polyjuice Potion. This Death Eater is the one who put Harry’s name in the Cup as well as the one who charmed the cup to be a Portkey. When he was discovered, the Minister had him Kissed immediately. Unfortunately, the Minister did not want to admit that Voldemort had returned to full power and began a smear campaign against both Harry and Professor Dumbledore.”

“What do you mean by a smear campaign?” Dorea probed, narrowing her eyes at that particular bit of information.

“Nothing overt, but snide comments here and there in the Daily Prophet. Harry was painted as unstable. The year before there was a reporter by the name of Rita Skeeter who preferred to write gossip than any actual facts. She printed a couple of stories about a supposed love triangle between myself, Harry, and the Durmstrang champion Viktor, as well as a memorable one about Harry having what she called ‘fits’. Whenever Voldemort got particularly angry or had any strong emotions, Harry’s scar, where the original Killing Curse rebounded off of him, would hurt sometimes to the point he would pass out. After he began to speak out against the Ministry, the Daily Prophet brought this back up saying that Harry was unstable.”

“Now really. That just seems unnecessary. You’re just children. Who would be that interested in your lives?” Dorea complained.

“Well, Harry was the Boy Who Lived. People treated him like a hero, most of the time. The public is willing to believe any drivel the Ministry and Daily Prophet feed them. Nobody ever wants to think for themselves. It wasn’t just Harry they were attacking. They were doing the same to Dumbledore as well saying he was getting old and senile. He was removed from the Wizengamot as well as the International Confederation Of Wizards. The Minister feared Dumbledore was trying to take his job, so he wanted to discredit him. Of course, it was ridiculous. Dumbledore never wanted to be Minister. So after everything in the Prophet, the Ministry also decided it was time they stepped in at Hogwarts and appointed our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for that year. She was originally the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and was reporting back to him everything she observed. She turned out to be useless. Refused to teach us anything except theory even though it was our OWL year. She was a horrid old hag.” Hermione snapped remembering how terrible of a person Dolores Umbridge turned out to be.

Charlus chuckled at his daughter’s apparent hatred of this Professor. “She might be a Ministry Official, but surely she couldn’t be that bad.”

“She was worse. When she refused to teach us anything we decided to start our own group. Harry teaching us proper defense, though we had to keep it a secret as a Ministry decree banned any student organizations without the approval of Hogwarts High Inquisitor, who so happened to be Professor Umbridge. As a joke, we called it Dumbledore’s Army since that was the Ministry’s biggest fear. One of our members, however, betrayed us and told Umbridge about our meetings when Umbridge threatened the girl’s Mum’s job within the Ministry. When they found our membership list, the Minister and some Aurors confronted Dumbledore who took the fall for us. They attempted to arrest him but he fled and went into hiding, and then Umbridge was announced as the new Headmistress. Our punishment for being involved, we were all given detention where we were forced to write lines using Blood Quills.”

“Blood Quills?” Dorea shrieked. “Those are illegal except for signing binding contracts! And she used them in students?”

“Yes. She was doing it all year. Harry had detention with her so many times throughout the year for telling people Voldemort was back, his hand was permanently scarred,” Hermione spat in disgust. “She’s an evil woman. I hate her probably as much as I hate Voldemort. Anyway, after Dumbledore left things got worse, then during our History of Magic OWL Harry collapsed again. He had a vision of Voldemort holding Sirius hostage in the Department of Mysteries. We tried to see if Sirius was at Order headquarters but the House Elf told us no and that he wasn’t ever coming back. We were using Umbridge’s fire to Floo Sirius, and she ended up catching us. We were able to get away after a small fight and a group of us including Ron’s younger sister Ginny as well as our other friends Neville and Luna flew to the Ministry on thestrals to save Sirius.”

“Excuse me! You left school grounds illegally, flew on the backs of creatures you can only see if you’ve seen death, to break into a government building to confront the darkest wizard in history? Please tell me I am hearing this wrong?” Dorea seethed.

Hermione cringed at her mother’s tone. “No. You did not hear that wrong.”

“What in Merlin’s name were you thinking!” Charlus growled out. “Surely there was somebody you could have informed? Minerva even!”

“Professor McGonagall wasn’t on school grounds. She had been hit in the chest with four stunners at once while trying to defend Hagrid when Professor Umbridge was firing him from his post as Care of Magical Creatures Professor and Groundskeeper. It was a nasty fight. The only other teacher in the Order was also the Order member who was spying on the Death Eaters. He was originally a Death Eater in the First War, and we weren’t sure we could trust him. Harry tried getting a message to him, but we didn’t think he understood.”

“So you just thought that the next best thing to do would be to go gallivanting off to London?” Dorea inquired, struggling to keep her temper.

“Yes, Harry thought so. You have to understand. Harry thought Sirius was being tortured and would be killed. Sirius was the only family Harry had, and he refused to lose him. He was going to London whether we went with him or not. I told you. We would have followed Harry to the ends of the earth.”

“How did Harry even know this was real? That it wasn’t just a nightmare?” Charlus wondered aloud.

“Earlier in the year, Harry had another dream. Ron’s Dad was in the Ministry late one night and was attacked by Voldemort’s snake. It turned out to be true. The only reason Mr Weasley survived is because Harry was able to tell Dumbledore. He thought it was the same thing.”

After a few moments of contemplation of this, Dorea acquiesced, figuring she needed to hear the end of the story, “Fair enough. Please continue.”

“Well….” Hermione knew they weren’t happy with some of her decisions, and she knew once she told them what happened at the Ministry they’d be even less pleased. “Well...when we got to the Department of Mysteries, it turned out to be a trap. After the attack on Mr Weasley, Voldemort had realized the connection between himself and Harry. I told you about the prophecy that was made about Harry and Voldemort, Harry didn’t know it existed, and Voldemort had only ever heard part of it. He had spent the year trying to get into the Department of Mysteries, so he could hear the full thing. However only those the prophecy has been made about can retrieve it, and Voldemort couldn’t get it himself so he tricked Harry into going. He then sent Death Eaters to take the prophecy from Harry. Obviously, he wouldn’t hand it over and a fight broke out. I was hit relatively early on with a curse by Dolohov which knocked me out. When I finally woke up in the Hospital Wing a few days later, I found out…” Hermione paused knowing what she was about to say would be hard for them to hear. “I found out that the Order came to help, including Sirius. They were fighting in the Death Chamber. Bellatrix hit him with a stunner, and he fell through the Veil. Harry was...Harry was devastated. Remus had to hold him back to stop Harry from going after Sirius.”

Both Dorea and Charlus were silently crying. Their daughter was seriously injured and their other son was killed in the same battle. Their Grandson had to witness the death of the only parent he had ever known.

Hermione continued when they didn’t say anything. “Harry didn’t take it well at all. He withdrew from us even more, blaming himself for Sirius’s death. I think despite everything that we had already been through, that’s when the War really started for us. I could have died. Madame Pomfrey said that if I hadn’t silenced Dolohov, his curse probably would have killed me. Sirius did die, and even though Cedric had been killed the year before, it was the first real battle any of us had ever been in.”

Finally, Charlus, voice thick with tears, was able to speak. “Is that where some of your scars came from?”

Hermione bristled slightly. She didn’t want her parents to know about them. She didn’t want them to worry any more than she knew they already would. “My scars? How do you know about those?”

“Madame Pomfrey,” the Potter Patriarch informed her. “She told us her initial findings from when she examined you once James brought you in.”

“Oh, well yes. The one that is down my chest is from Dolohov. All I remember is purple flames. Madame Pomfrey is the one who originally treated me. She said it’s meant to burn you from the inside out, but silencing him was enough to dampen the effects, though I was still taking potions up to ten times a day for a few weeks. It was quite unpleasant,” Hermione informed them.

Dorea scoffed at the almost casual way her daughter described an attempt on her life, “You know most people are a little more bothered when somebody tries to kill them.”

“Most people yes, sadly this became the norm over the next couple of years. It was war, and I was the Muggleborn best friend of The Chosen One. I was a target everywhere I went,” Hermione shrugged.

“What happened after the battle?” Charlus asked, wanting Hermione to continue.

“Well towards the end of the battle Voldemort himself showed up and confronted Harry. Then Dumbledore showed up, and the two duelled. Once the Minister and other Ministry officials started arriving and saw Voldemort with their own eyes, they couldn’t deny anymore he had returned. The Prophet began to hail Dumbledore and Harry as heroes again and within weeks Minister Fudge resigned. Umbridge was also removed from Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was reinstated. Unfortunately now we were in open warfare. With everybody knowing he had regained power, Voldemort didn’t bother hiding in the shadows anymore. Muggleborns, Blood Traitors, Muggles, anybody who spoke out against Voldemort was murdered.”

“Oddly enough, despite all of this sixth year for me was one of the calmest. We were able to be normal teenagers. Harry was made Quidditch Captain, I was able to focus on my classes without too many distractions. We didn’t have Voldemort possessing any teachers, or Basilisks, or any of the threats coming from inside the school as we had the previous years. At least we didn’t know about the threat within the school. It was...nice almost. Well minus the drama with Ron, but nothing life threatening,” Hermione amended.

“What do you mean by threat within the school?” Charlus asked her.

“Harry was convinced one of our classmates, Draco, was a Death Eater and that he was planning something. Neither Ron nor I believed Harry. Though there were a couple of attacks. A girl named Katie Bell was cursed by a necklace and Ron was poisoned. It seemed that both attempts were meant for Professor Dumbledore.”

Dorea gasped, “You said earlier that Dumbledore died. Is this how?”

“Yes. Throughout the year Professor Dumbledore was giving Harry private lessons. These lessons consisted of learning about Voldemort’s past. This is how we found out he wanted seven Horcruxes. When Dumbledore thought he found another towards the end of the school year, he took Harry with him to retrieve it. There were obstacles and protections around it though. One of them was a potion that had to be drunk. It weakened Dumbledore immensely. When they returned to Hogwarts the Dark Mark was already over the Astronomy tower so the two flew up there to see what happened. At this point, Harry was hidden underneath his Invisibility Cloak. They were met by Draco who revealed that he was a Death Eater. As punishment for his father’s failure in the Department of Mysteries, Draco was ordered to kill Dumbledore. Voldemort most likely expected him to fail.”

“The cloak?” Charlus stopped Hermione, with an excited gleam in his eyes, before she could continue. “Harry had been given the Cloak?

“Yes. Professor Dumbledore had it when the Potter’s were murdered. He gave it to Harry for Christmas his first year,” she answered her father with a smile before continuing. “Anyway, Draco disarmed Dumbledore, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Harry said that he was starting to lower his wand. That’s when other Death Eaters joined them. Including our Potions Master, well that year he was our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor instead of Potions. He was the Order member who was our spy within the Death Eaters. Harry said that Dumbledore begged him, but he killed him anyway. Harry was inconsolable. Losing Sirius was one thing. He lost the only father figure he ever knew, but losing Dumbledore wasn’t just a blow to Harry. It was a major blow to the entire Order, to everybody who fought for the Light,” Hermione said sadly.

“Who?” Charlus whispered. “Who killed Albus?” Charlus could hardly believe it. Albus Dumbledore had been a good friend of his father. Charlus grew up knowing him and as Charlus got older, Albus became a great friend to him as well. He couldn’t believe that somebody Albus trusted murdered him.

“Severus Snape,” Hermione was able to choke out. She wasn’t sure she wanted to reveal Snape’s identity just like she wasn’t sure she wanted to real Peter’s, but the Potter’s did have a right to know. She couldn’t keep it from them if they outright asked her.

“Severus Snape?” Dorea demanded sharply. At Hermione’s nod, she continued. “The same Severus Snape that’s in school with the boys now?”

“Yes,” Hermione answered. “But something was off. I can’t believe that Snape would outright murder Professor Dumbledore. I know what Harry saw, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Why do you think that?” Charlus asked his daughter.

“Voldemort is arrogant. He is incredibly talented, nobody can deny that, but he’s arrogant. He couldn’t believe that somebody would betray him, even if just out of fear. Dumbledore, on the other hand, I can’t imagine that he had been fooled for over fifteen years. I don’t know what really happened on that tower that night, but I feel that there is more to it.” Hermione furrowed her brows in concentration, almost forgetting her parents were there as she tried to figure out this puzzle. “Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll ever figure it out. It’s not like I can ask either Snape or Professor Dumbledore now.”

“So you think Severus can be trusted?” Dorea wondered aloud.

“Not necessarily,” Hermione answered, “but I don’t think he should necessarily be distrusted. Right now though there is no point in worrying about it. I do know he was a faithful Death Eater right when he left Hogwarts. It’s not for another year or so that he supposedly defects.”

“So what happened after Dumbledore’s death?” Charlus prompted her to continue.  
“Harry knew that there was no way to end the War without destroying the Horcruxes, so he decided that as soon as he turned seventeen, he was going to leave to start searching for them. That is also when the blood protection he had at his Aunt’s from Lily’s sacrifice ended so he knew he wouldn’t be safe staying in one place. Ron and I decided to go with him, and we all agreed we wouldn’t be returning to Hogwarts,” Hermione waited for the outburst that she had dropped out.

“Not return to Hogwarts?” Dorea demanded. “You decided to not finish your education?”

“Yes. Ending Voldemort was more important. Though even if I hadn’t decided myself not to return to Hogwarts, I wouldn’t have been allowed back anyway.”

“And why not?” Dorea presses for more information.

“The beginning of August, the Ministry fell to Voldemort. We were actually at the wedding of Bill Weasley when it happened. Death Eaters attacked looking for information on Harry. Luckily we escaped, and they didn’t have any idea Harry had actually been there. Almost overnight new laws were enacted including mandatory attendance for anybody who is a half- or pureblood. Muggleborns were no longer allowed to attend Hogwarts. There was also the Muggleborn Registration Committee headed by Dolores Umbridge,” Hermione growled.

“What is the Muggleborn Registration Committee?” Dorea spat out with disgust. She could only fathom how horrid it was.

“The Ministry came out with supposed research that magic could only come from those with magical blood. The Muggleborn Registration Committee made it mandatory all Muggleborns come in to prove their ancestry, and if they couldn’t they would be accused of stealing their magic and thrown into Azkaban. We had to break into the Ministry to steal back a Horcrux that Umbridge had and witnessed one of these trials. It was horrible. After the Ministry fell, the three of us were on the run. Harry was the most wanted person in the country followed closely by myself and Ron. Myself for not presenting myself at the Ministry for the Muggleborn Registration and my association with Harry. Ron for truancy and his association with Harry.”

“This is when things got really bad. We were able to stay at Grimmuald Place for a little bit,” Hermione continued with her story.

“Grimmuald Place? One of the Black family homes?” Dorea questioned shocked. “Why there?”

“It was the original Order headquarters. Sirius offered it to Dumbledore, since he was the last living Black heir it was his. When Sirius died, he left everything to Harry. It was under a Fidelus, so it was relatively safe. We were nervous Snape would find us since he knew the location, but we never saw him. After we broke into the Ministry, we were followed trying to escape, so we couldn’t stay there any longer. The next few months were….difficult. We lived in a tent, moving around the country every few days. Food was scarce. We ate what we could find, and every once in awhile we would sneak into a Muggle village and take some food. We didn’t do this much as we didn’t want to draw any attention but sometimes we got desperate. Tensions were so high. We had a Horcrux but no way to destroy it and eventually, Ron left. He couldn’t take it anymore. He did come back to us sometime after Christmas though. One night Harry was keeping watch outside and saw a Patronus and decided to follow it. The doe led him to a lake where the Sword of Gryffindor was hidden. The idiot decided to jump into it with the Horcrux around his neck, and the Horcrux started to strangle him. Ron ended up saving him and getting the sword.”

“Why is the sword important?” Charlus asked.

“Harry used the sword to kill the Basilisk in our second year. Since it’s Goblin made it only takes in that which makes it stronger, like Basilisk venom. And Basilisk venom is one of the only ways to destroy a Horcrux,” Hermione informed them.

“Interesting,” the Potter Patriarch muttered.

“Things were better once we had destroyed the Horcrux, but we still had three more plus the bit of soul that still resided inside Voldemort.”

“Three more? What were the other three already destroyed?” Dorea inquired, wanting to get all of the facts straight.

“Well, the diary was destroyed by Harry in second year. Before our sixth year, Dumbledore destroyed a ring that belonged to Voldemort’s mother’s family, and the one we destroyed was a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Dumbledore had a theory that he was using items of historical magical significance, as well as items important to him. He believed Helga Hufflepuff’s cup was also used as well as maybe something of Ravenclaw’s. When he returned to full power, he made his final Horcrux into his snake Nagini. That is what we were going after when I was sent back, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Despite destroying the locket, we weren’t any closer to finding the others. One night we messed up. There was a taboo on the name Voldemort and Harry said it. Snatchers found us instantly and captured us. We were taken to Malfoy Manor which was home base for Voldemort. Luckily he wasn’t there, but the Malfoys were as well as Bellatrix. They were going to call for Voldemort, let him know that Harry Potter had been caught, but Bellatrix saw the Sword of Gryffindor before they could do this and lost it. Apparently, the sword was supposed to be in her vault. You said you know about my scars?” Hermione paused waiting for them to answer.

At their nods, she continued. “Bellatrix decided to torture me for information. I could hear Harry and Ron yelling for me. Begging to be taken instead,” Hermione paused again, her voice thick with tears at the memory of her torture and her friends screams for her. “I….I honestly don’t know how long I was under the curse for, but it felt like hours. I refused to tell her anything, and that’s when she took out her knife. It was a cursed blade, it can never be healed. She wanted me to have a constant reminder that I don’t belong.”

Dorea immediately got up, sat next to Hermione, and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “Of course you belong. You aren’t a Muggleborn.”

Hermione immediately pulled away, glaring at the older woman. “It wouldn’t matter if I was. Blood means nothing, and the fact that two wars have been fought over this is ridiculous.”

“Of course not. That’s not what I meant. I just meant that word doesn’t define you. Even if you were truly a Muggleborn, you aren’t defined by that.”

Hermione sighed. “I have spent the last seven years fighting for my right to be a part of the Magical world. Studying everything I could to prove to everybody that I belong just as much as Ron or Draco. I’m sick and tired of all the prejudice. Against Muggleborns, magical creatures, even the prejudice between the Houses at Hogwarts. It’s meaningless.”

“Why don’t you keep telling us what happened?” Charlus suggested. He didn’t think it was the best time to get into centuries old prejudices and grudges at the moment. Not when more important things, such as figuring out the best way to end the War, needed to be discussed first.

“Alright. Well, we did eventually escape. Harry and Ron were able to break out of the dungeons surprisingly with the help of Peter. During the ritual to bring Voldemort back, Peter had to cut off his right hand. As a reward, Voldemort gave him a silver hand to replace it. Since Harry saved Peter’s life in the Shrieking Shack by preventing Remus and Sirius from killing him, Peter owed Harry a life debt and in the dungeon Harry reminded Peter of this. Peter allowed them to go but then his hand turned on him, he strangled himself to death.”

Dorea gasped at the thought of little Peter’s death. She felt somewhat conflicted as this was the man who caused her one son’s death and another to be imprisoned in Azkaban, but this was also the sweet boy who she had seen grow from a shy eleven year old to a young man excited for his future. She couldn’t reconcile the two. What could happen in just three years that would change Peter so drastically he would betray his best friends?

After a slight pause, allowing the information to sink in, Hermione continued. “A House Elf who used to belong to the Malfoy’s was able to apparate us as well as the other prisoners Voldemort has holding captive. That was a little over a month ago for me. It took awhile for me to recover from the Cruciatus but the after effects have gotten much better. Despite the torture, it did provide us with some information. We realized that Bellatrix thought we had been in her vault and she seemed really worried. We knew that Voldemort used his followers to guard Horcruxes, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that there was a Horcrux in the Lestrange vault.”

“In Gringotts?” Charlus questioned sharply. Hermione nodded in response to this. “I can just picture some insane plan now to infiltrate the bank.”

“You’re right. It was insane. Bellatrix left a hair on me when she was torturing me, and we were able to disarm her and take her wand with us when we escaped. We disguised Ron, Harry and a goblin that was being held captive in the dungeons were under the invisibility cloak, and I polyjuiced to be Bellatrix.” Hermione waited for the explosion she was sure would come.

“I’m sorry, you did what?” Dorea exclaimed. “Why? Why would you think that would be the best idea?”

“It was the only plan we had at the time. We were desperate, and anyway, it worked. Well sort of. By the time we got to the vault, they knew that somebody had broken in and we were cornered in their vault. But the good news is we had the cup!”

“How exactly did you escape if you were cornered?” Charlus wanted to know.

“We sort of escaped on the back of one of the dragons they use as security,” Hermione cringed slightly. “Again it was the only option we had at the time. It was either that or be captured, and that was not an option.”

“Alright, so you escaped on a dragon. What happened next?” Charlus sighed exasperatedly. He shouldn’t be surprised given everything his daughter had done, but yet he still was.

“I told you about the connection between Harry and Voldemort. Voldemort mostly tried to keep this connection closed, but sometimes when he was extremely angry or extremely happy, he would let Harry in accidentally. Harry saw him at the bank and he was furious. He killed pretty much everybody there, and now he knew that we were hunting Horcruxes. Harry also saw that there was one more Horcrux at Hogwarts and it had to do with Ravenclaw. Voldemort assumed this one was the safest, so he planned on checking that one last. We knew we had to get to Hogwarts before Voldemort did, so that is where we went next. This was a few days ago. We apparated to Hogsmeade and hid in the Hogs Head when a Caterwauling Charm alerted Death Eaters somebody was out past the curfew Voldemort had imposed. Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth, runs the pub, I’m not sure if you know that. He helped us and then tried to convince us to run. When we refused, he helped us get into Hogwarts through a secret passage that had created itself earlier in the year for students who were hiding while in Hogwarts. Snape had been appointed Headmaster, and two other Death Eaters were made Professors as well and put in charge of discipline. Hogwarts wasn’t the same. We made it into Hogwarts and what was left of the Order as well as the graduated members of Dumbledore’s Army were alerted.”

“Once we were inside all students and faculty were called to the Great Hall as Snape had been alerted that we would try and infiltrate the school. Harry revealed himself and confronted Snape. He then fled to join the Death Eaters, and McGonagall took charge. A short while later the battle started. Hundreds of Death Eaters stormed the castle, but everybody who was able stayed to defend it. Ron and I went back to the Chamber of Secrets to destroy the cup since we had lost the sword at Gringotts, and Harry went with our friend Luna to try and locate the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, this is what we believed one of his last Horcruxes to be. Harry realized that he had seen it before in the Room of Requirement.”

“What is the Room of Requirement?” Charlus asked, trying to keep up with the story. It seemed that the end was near and a lot had taken place in such a short period of time.

“It’s a room within Hogwarts on the seventh floor. It’s hidden until somebody has a great need. All you have to do is pace three times in front of the wall across from the tapestry where Barnabas the Barmy is teaching trolls to dance thinking of what you need. That is where all the students were hiding from the Carrows, the Death Eater Professors. We originally came across the room in our fifth year, and that is where we held DA meetings, but Harry remembered seeing the Diadem in the room during our sixth year. So we went back there and located it but then we were confronted by three Slytherins who were in our year, including Draco. One of the other boys then cast Fiendfyre, which just so happens to be the only other way besides Basilisk venom that can destroy a Horcrux. He didn’t make it out of the room, but the rest of us did and the diadem was destroyed. That is when we knew we needed to go after Nagini. Harry looked into Voldemort’s mind and saw he was in the Shrieking Shack waiting for Harry to come to him. It’s where the three of us were headed when I was sent back. We were running across one of the courtyards near the Greenhouses when Rabastan Lestrange cut me off. We began to duel but he kept backing me away from everything. I don’t think Harry or Ron realized I wasn’t with them anymore. It was all very chaotic. Once we were away from the battle, he bound me and forced me to drink a potion. He also hit me with some spell that hurt almost as bad as the Cruciatus, and then there was a bright light. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in the Hospital Wing a couple of days ago.”

Dorea and Charlus both sat in shock for a few moments before Dorea broke the silence. “Do you have any idea what the spells or potion he used on you?”

“One of the spells was definitely the one to send me back here. Dumbledore found it, and he should be able to tell you more about it. I didn’t really have a chance to ask any details before you arrived and we did the familial spell. As for the other spell I suspect it was dismantling glamours that had been placed on me. It was quite a shock looking in the mirror I can tell you. I used to have light brown hair and dark brown eyes, and my nose is slightly different. It’s a little disconcerting actually. As for the potion, I don’t know. I was hoping Madame Pomfrey could tell but I’ve been a little preoccupied, I forgot to ask,” Hermione chuckled. Preoccupied was one way to put it. Stunned and confused beyond belief at the situation she found herself in was another. 

At their stunned silence, Hermione tried to make the situation a little better. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m sorry I dumped all of it on you like this. I just figured it would be easier to get it all out at once. At least this way you know there won’t be any surprises.”

A burst of inspiration hit Hermione. She reached into her beaded bag and found a picture of her, Ron, and Harry from the last Christmas they spent at the Burrow. She looked at it with a sad smile, knowing this would be the only way she would ever see her Harry and Ron again, before handing it over to her parents. “Here. This was our sixth year. We all spent Christmas together at the Weasley’s. I want you to know that despite everything, I was happy. Both Harry and I were loved and cared for.”

Dorea gently took the picture from Hermione and looked at it with tears in her eyes. The three teenagers were all laughing as the two boys tackled the girl before they all looked at whoever was taking the picture with large smiles and waves to the camera.

“Merlin! He does look just like James,” Charlus whispered. “And you’re right. You do look different from this picture. You still have the crazy Potter hair though,” he teased his daughter.

Hermione started to chuckle before yawning halfway through, causing Dorea to jump into action. “That’s enough for now. We’ve been talking for hours. I think it’s best if you go up and take a nap. Pippy can show you to your room.”

“Actually I would really like it if I could take a shower first. I’ve been living in a tent for almost a year.”

“Of course, but then rest. Madame Pomfrey said you weren’t to over exert yourself and I don’t think reliving the past seven years of your life was what she had in mind. Pippy!” Dorea called.

With a crack, Pippy appeared next to Dorea. “Yes, Mistress?”

“Can you please show Hermione to her room? And make sure she has everything she needs.”

“Of course Mistress! Come on Little Miss. Pippy has prepareds everything you need!” Pippy exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Hermione’s hand and dragging her out of the room.

Dorea watched her daughter being dragged around by the little house elf with a small smile on her face. After the two had disappeared, she turned to her husband.

“What are we going to do Charlus? If anybody finds out….” she trailed off.

“Nobody is going to find out, we will make sure of it. And now we know who hurt her. We may not know who took her yet but we will find out,” Charlus assured his wife. “I just can’t believe what she’s been through.”

“She survived though, and she is home.”

“What are we going to do?” Charlus wondered aloud, repeating his wife’s earlier sentiments.

“We will not let anything happen to her. Or to any of our other children,” she declared, believing this with all her heart.

“You know she won’t let us do this without her right?” Charlus chuckled.

“Of course not. She refused to let Harry do anything on his own. I don’t think even James is as stubborn as she is.”

“Speaking of, what do we tell James? You know he will ask questions. Do we tell him the truth?” Charlus asked.

“I don’t know, Charlus. I really don’t know. I think...it’s not really our story to tell. Maybe we should let Hermione decide,” the Potter Matriarch suggested.

“It may be Hermione’s experiences, but it is something that affects us all. She was friends with James’s son. Our grandson. Just because we weren’t there….the outcome of this war will impact our family directly,” he argued.

“But the knowledge would put James in danger as well. Hermione is already in danger if anybody finds out where she came from. I can’t have two of my children being hunted.”

“From the sounds of it, in a few years James and his family will be targets anyway, and you know that Albus is planning on extending invitations to the Order. James and Sirius are adults. We can’t tell them they aren’t allowed to join,” Charlus reasoned.

Dorea sighed. “I know. I wish we were able to shield them all from this. I understand why she didn’t want to say anything to Albus either.”

“I agree. He knows where she came from, he will try to get her to help.”

“Well she obviously wants to help, I just don’t think she wants Albus too,” Dorea said. “We need to find out exactly why she doesn’t trust Albus. Yes, he didn’t always make the best decisions but nothing to me screams that he is untrustworthy.”

“Let’s give her a few days. She’ll get settled and adjust to live here. We can talk to her again before James comes home. We’ll let her make the decisions for now. She has been on her own for so long, I don’t think she would handle it too well if we start dictating her life,” Charlus decided. They had many answers but still so many questions. Nothing was going to be decided tonight.

“You’re right,” Dorea started.

Charlus gasped interrupting his wife. “Did you just say I’m right? I think that is the first time in over thirty years of marriage you have ever uttered those words. How did that taste?”

Dorea chuckled and lightly swatted her husband on his arm, “Hush. As I was saying, I agree. We’ll let her rest before we bring anything up again. Now, I will be in the library. There are a few things I want to look into. I’ll tell Pippy to start dinner. I think we all want an early night,” she said as she stood, leaning down to give her husband a peck on the cheek.

“You’re going to see if you can find the spell that took Hermione aren’t you?” Charlus guessed.

“Of course. I’m sure we will have something in our library that can tell us how she was taken. Now that I have a better place to start, my research will be much more productive.”

“Alright, love. I’ll be in my study if you need me,” Charlus informed his wife as he stood as well. Before Dorea could walk out of the room, Charlus pulled her into his arms. “Our little girl is home,” he said with a bright smile.

Dorea returned the smile with one of her own, “I know.”

With a final kiss between the couple, both walked out of their sitting room and went their separate ways, content in the knowledge that for the time being all of their children were safe.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry I did not update this week as usual! I really have no excuse minus my tired brain just not even realizing what day it is. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. Here is the next chapter and to think you for everything I will post both Monday and Thursday this week!! Enjoy my loyal readers!!

The next week saw the three Potters falling into a routine. Charlus was usually up first and took his breakfast alone before retreating to his study to conduct business. This mainly consisted of managing the Potter Family estate. As it turned out, the Potters were even wealthier than Hermione had first believed - if the stacks of portfolios containing stocks and shares were anything to go by. 

Dorea and Hermione typically woke up around the same time and ate together. Then they either retreated to the library, where they read in silence, or Dorea would give Hermione a tour of the Manor and grounds. Both activities allowed mother and daughter to get to know one another. Naturally, Hermione’s favorite part of the Manor was the Library. 

Dorea was eager to hear more about the less dangerous aspects of Hermione’s life, while Hermione was eager to pick Dorea’s brain about any number of topics from life at the Manor to ancient runes, a topic she discovered they both shared a passion for. Dorea had spotted her tracing some out runes on the coffee table one day, and from there they had been chatting non-stop about their love for the subject.

Tea time saw all three of them together in the gardens chatting about nothing and everything. Sometimes she would catch one of them staring at her with unmasked sadness or joy. They were happy that she was there with them, but they were still hurting over how many years they had lost with her. Normally, they looked away before she caught them, tucking their pain away and giving her a carefully practised smile. 

One time, she actually managed to catch Dorea giving her one of those wistful looks. Hermione had then made the mistake of smiling back at her, which had Dorea excusing herself from the table. To cover up the tension Charlus took it upon himself to entertain Hermione for the rest of the afternoon: telling her about the family history and showing her around his potions lab.

Hermione was delighted to discover that the Potters were descended from a long line of potioneers. A talent that seemed to skip her, and eventually Harry as well. She didn’t count Harry’s sixth year, as she remained firm in the belief that Harry’s use of the Half-Blood Prince’s book was cheating, and while she was competent at brewing, she didn’t hold any particular skill for it, unfortunately.

In the evenings, Hermione preferred to be alone, so she spent them wandering the halls of the Manor until she could barely stand. Sometimes she would chat to a portrait of a Potter ancestor who was happy to have her home, or she would just aimlessly walk around. She was adjusting to her life in the 70s reasonably well, but she still missed her family and friends. Despite how amazing the Potters had been to her, she was grieving her old life. She knew that she would always miss her friends and family, and each day was slightly easier than the last. Not to mention, walking to the point of exhaustion typically kept her nightmares at bay.

A little over a week after her arrival at Potter Manor, Hermione came down for breakfast to find both of her parents sitting at the table talking in hushed whispers. It seemed like a conversation they didn’t want her to be a part of, so she cleared her throat to make her presence known.

Both Potters looked up and smiled at the sight of their daughter. Even though it had been a week, they were still deliriously happy to have her back in their lives.

“Good morning darling,” Dorea greeted. “How did you sleep?”

“Well, thank you,” she responded, feeling bad for interrupting whatever conversation her parents had just been having.

“No nightmares?” She pressed her daughter, the same way she did every morning. While Hermione did appreciate the concern, she was getting a bit tired of being treated like glass or a ghost. One wrong word or move and she would be gone from their lives. 

“Not last night.” Hermione gave her a soft smile before asking a question of her own, “What are your plans for the day?” She changed the subject.

“Actually, all three of us have plans,” Charlus spoke up and cast a quick glance at Hermione, “if that’s alright with you?”

Although it felt more like she was being told rather than asked, Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh?”

“Yes. We need to go into the Ministry. The Aurors would like to talk to you about where you’ve been so they can close the case. Well re-close the case I should say,” Charlus began to say but was soon cut off by Hermione.

“I can’t tell them where I’ve been,” Hermione exclaimed, her voice going up a pitch in panic. “Nobody can find out!” She frantically looked between her parents for some sort of explanation.

“We know. We would never ask you to do that,” Dorea said, reaching out to take Hermione’s hand. “Both your father and Albus have been quietly calling in favors. You will be interviewed by two members of the Order, who have been informed not to look too closely at the story, and Albus has a friend in Australia. He has managed to get records stating you are registered as a muggle-born student there,” Dorea explained.

“That…” Hermione thought aloud, “could actually work. Does the Ministry know how I was found?”

Charlus answered, “Yes. That is what we were discussing when you came in. Albus said you don’t know much about Family Magic, is that correct?” At Hermione’s nod, the Potter patriarch continued. “We believe it’s best to keep it simple then. You were attacked and your adoptive parents killed. Close to death yourself, your magic transported you to your closest living relative to save you. No one will question it if we say Family Magic is involved.”

“Why would it take me to James though and not to either of you?”

“You and James have almost identical magical signatures as you are both a combination of your mother and I. His magic was more equipped to handle helping to heal you rather than either of us individually. It’s best not to go into too many details though. Family Magic is supposed to be a protected secret of each family.”

“Alright,” Hermione acquiesced. “That seems easy enough. Who am I supposed to be meeting with?”

“Alastor Moody, he’s been a friend of ours and Dumbledore’s for years, and a trainee Auror by the name of Kingsley Shacklebolt. We haven’t met him yet, but Albus said he is trustworthy,” Dorea informed her daughter.

“Oh yes! Kingsley is wonderful. We’ve fought together. I would trust him with my life.” Hermione felt relieved. Mad-Eye was gruff, but she knew she didn’t have to worry about him, and Kingsley was one of her favorite members of the Order. She fought side by side with him while removing Harry from his Aunt and Uncle’s home, and she fondly remembered the number of debates they had during dinners at Grimmauld. He even helped her with her Defense homework before her fifth year.

“You know them?” Charlus was slightly surprised, though he really shouldn’t be. Hermione had admitted to being involved in the Order, so obviously if the two current Order members were alive during the Second War they would have joined again.

“Yes. Mad-Eye was our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor my Fourth year, well sort of,” Hermione began.

“Mad-Eye?” 

“What do you mean by sort of?”

Both parents asked at the same time.

“Does he still have both his eyes?” Hermione questioned.

“Yes,” came from Charlus. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“I’m not sure when it happens. He never told us, but at some point, he loses one of his eyes, so he has it replaced with a large magical one that is strapped to his head. It can see through walls, invisibility cloaks, really anything.” Hermione shrugged.

“Can you go back to what you mean by he was sort of your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor?” Dorea asked a little to casually.

Hermione paused for a moment, before deciding on how to answer her mother. “Well, he was supposed to be. He was the professor from fourth year who was held hostage by a Death Eater all year, while the Death Eater polyjuiced to look like him.”

Dorea shook her head. “Every time I ask questions it’s always answers I don’t want to hear. Just how did Albus run that school?”

“Love, let’s just move on from it for now. No use worrying about anything just yet,” Charlus tried to stop his wife from going on a rant.

Dorea took a deep breath to calm herself. She rose from her seat, having finished her breakfast and announced, “I’m going to get ready for the day. Hermione, I’ll have Pippy lay out some robes for you. After we’re done at the Ministry, we can go to Diagon Alley and spend the afternoon shopping. Is that alright?”

Hesitant about spending the afternoon shopping, but having already convinced herself to go along with it as it seemed something her mother was eager to do, Hermione nodded. “Of course. Sounds like fun.”

“And after we’re done getting all of your necessities we can spend some time in Flourish and Blotts. I’m sure you would love to continue to fill our library up.” Dorea hoped Hermione would enjoy this. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to enjoy an afternoon of shopping, and after seeing Hermione’s reaction to the extensive library at the Manor, Dorea assumed an extended trip to a bookstore would be something that appealed to the young girl. Seeing Hermione’s face light up while she nodded enthusiastically proved Dorea right.

With a kiss on both her husband and daughter’s cheek, the regal witch swept out of the room to get ready for the day, leaving her family to have the rest of their breakfast in peace.

A little over an hour later, the three Potters stepped out of the Floo into the Atrium of the Ministry. Charlus led his family to the Welcome Witch to check in before they proceeded to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.  
“This should be over quickly dear,” Dorea assured her daughter, to which Hermione simply nodded. “We also will need to stop by the Department of Records at some point,” she mentioned to Charlus.

Curious, Hermione asked, “Department of Records?”

“Yes, for your name change.”

“I don’t understand,” Hermione said.

“Well, you were officially born as Charlotte Dorea Potter. You’ve said you would prefer to go by Hermione since that is the name you have grown up using. Is that not the case?” Charlus questioned.

“No, no it is. I just didn’t think that we’d have to officially change my name.”

“Yes, just for legal purposes. Why don’t we discuss this later? That is something I can do alone when I’m here next week for the Wizengamot session,” the elder Potter suggested.

Hermione conceded. “Alright.”

The family walked the rest of the way in silence and before she knew it, Hermione was facing a much less scarred Alastor Moody and a much younger Kingsley Shacklebolt.

“Charlus, Dorea, nice to see you both,” the gruff older Auror greeted, shaking both of the elder Potter’s hands. “You must be Charlotte.”

“She actually prefers to go by Hermione,” Dorea informed the two gentlemen.

Hermione held out her hand for both men to shake. “Pleasure to meet both of you.”

“You as well Miss Potter,” Kingsley spoke for the first time. “Why don’t we go into Alastor’s office to talk. Lord and Lady Potter, you can wait out here.”

“Absolutely not,” Dorea protested.

“Ma’am,” the younger Auror explained, “It’s our procedure that we speak with kidnapping victims alone.”

“I do not care what your procedure is. My daughter has been through a traumatic experience, and we have finally found her after twelve years. After your department refused to believe she was still alive, you will not be speaking to my daughter alone.”

“Dorea,” Charlus tried to calm his wife. “It’s okay. We can wait out here. Hermione will be fine.”

“Over my dead body,” she declared.

“But,” Kingsley attempted to reason with the formidable witch.

“Mum, Dad. It’s alright,” Hermione comforted her parents. “I trust them. They both can be trusted.” She gave them a look trying to convey that she knew the two Aurors without coming right out and saying it.

“But,” Dorea began before Hermione cut her off.

“It’s alright,” she repeated. “I’ll be quick.”

Dorea crossed her arms over her chest and began muttering about stubborn Gryffindors, while Charlus put his arm around his wife trying to muffle his laughter at his daughter’s willfulness. The two Aurors then escorted Hermione down the hall and into the Head Auror’s office, closing the door.

“Alright girly,” Auror Moody began the interview while moving to sit down behind his desk, Kingsley taking his place behind his boss. “What can you tell us about where you’ve been?”

“I was raised in Australia. My par - my adoptive parents were British, but we moved to Melbourne when I was five.”

“What do you remember from before your kidnapping?” Kingsley asked.

Hermione thought for a moment. She actually hadn’t thought much about her life before her muggle parents. She was four when she had been kidnapped, but her first memories were of her life with the Grangers. How could she not even have a hint of her life before? “I….I don’t actually know. It’s like everything before is just….blank.”

“So you have no recollection of ever being with the Potters?” Moody questioned.

“No, I don’t,” Hermione admitted after a moment’s hesitation to truly think about her earliest memories.

“And you appear out of nowhere. How did you prove you are who you say you are?” Kingsley asked suspiciously.

Before she could answer, Moody added while narrowing his eyes in her direction, “How did you wiggle your way into the Potter’s home? What are you trying to accomplish?” 

“Excuse me! Just what are you saying?” Hermione sharply responded.

Kingsley could sense the tension in the room rising and tried to calm the young witch down. “We are just trying to get to the bottom of this. It is quite odd that you appear out of nowhere, in the middle of the night on the Hogwarts grounds, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I understand that this seems odd to you, but I promise you this is even more confusing and unusual for me. I never knew the people who raised me weren’t my biological parents. I didn’t want to believe it at first. I’m not trying to, to….trick the Potters! Professor Dumbledore performed a Familial Spell, and you are more than welcome to perform another one. I would like to know what happened just as much as everybody else would. The family that raised me is gone, and I’ve been thrown into this. My life has been turned completely upside down, yet you’re treating me with such suspicion.” By the end Hermione was on her feet, yelling at the formidable wizard, somebody who in her past life scared her a little bit. But with both of his legs and eyes, he was a lot less intimidating to her.

The door burst open, and Dorea Potter came storming in with a dark look on her face, followed by her husband who looked almost as murderous. “Just why can I hear my daughter shouting down the hall? Albus assured us he spoke with the both of you regarding this matter. What did you do to upset my daughter?”

“We are just asking her the necessary questions, Dorea. Albus may have vouched for her story, but I have an obligation to get to the bottom of this on my own,” Moody growled out, annoyed at being interrupted.

“Perhaps we should all take a seat and continue this calmly and rationally,” Kingsley tried to de-escalate the situation.

“No, we will be taking our daughter home now,” Charlus demanded.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that Charlus,” Moody stopped the wizard. “We aren’t done here.”

“I understand you want the truth, Auror Moody,” Hermione addressed the older wizard with as much composure as she could muster. “But I don’t know what that is. All I can tell you is I was raised as a muggle-born witch. My family and I were attacked simply for my being a muggle-born. My family is dead, and I believe our attackers thought I was dead as well, the next thing I know I was waking up in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts where James refused to leave my side until the Headmaster ordered him to. When the Potter’s showed up, we did a Familial Spell at the insistence of the Potters, not me. I had no idea I was adopted or that they had been searching for me for so long. There is no more information I can give you. Now if that is all?”

“That most certainly isn’t all,” Moody argued.

“Yes, it is,” Dorea declared. “She gave you her statement. You have a statement from Albus as well. We can provide you with no more information. We will now be leaving. Take care gentlemen.” Dorea then wrapped her arm around her daughter and steered her out of the office, swiftly followed by Charlus.

“The nerve of that man!” Dorea began to rant as they exited the offices of the DMLE. “How he could treat you like some kind of criminal. As if we wouldn’t know our own daughter, OR make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are Charlotte. And after all the years we’ve known him.”

“I believe I will be having a word with Albus. He assured me Alastor would treat this with discretion,” Charlus added.

At this Hermione began to giggle, which turned into all-out laughter. Both Potters stared at their daughter incredulously.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Hermione tried to calm herself to explain. “I’m sorry, but you think that was him being indiscreet? That was positively tame compared to the Mad-Eye I know. He was practically a teddy bear in there.”

“Er...care to explain dear?” Charlus asked.

“Auror Moody becomes much more paranoid as the years go on. He’s a lot more intimidating in his later years if I’m perfectly honest.”

“So you’re not upset at the way he spoke to you?” Dorea questioned, confused at Hermione’s reaction.

“Not at all. I honestly expected a little worse. I mean we were in his office and not even an interrogation room. I’m more upset that he brought up a really good point. I have zero memories of my life before the Grangers. I was four when I was taken, I should have had at least some impression of my life with you, but it’s all just….blank.”

The family had made it to the lifts and began to make their way back to the lobby, luckily they were alone. “Hmmm….” Dorea thought aloud. “You have a point. Well, I guess Alastor has a point. Once we get home, we’ll test you for any memory or mind-altering spells that have been placed on you. There is always a chance you were Obliviated.”

“Perhaps. It’s a decent theory,” Charlus agreed. “Let’s worry about that tonight though. The two of you have fun shopping. Try not to buy out the whole bookstore,” he joked, winking at Hermione, which earned him a smile.

The lift screeched to a halt, and the doors opened to pandemonium. The Potter family was swarmed by witches and wizards with cameras, parchment, quick-quotes quills, and lots of questions.

“Charlotte! Where have you been?”

“What made you decide to return now?”

“How did you contact the Potters?”

“Is it true you were found at Hogwarts?”

The elder Potters immediately surrounded their daughter, attempting to protect her from the onslaught of reporters and just general nosy people, trying to get to the newly found Potter heiress.

“We are not answering any questions at this time. Please leave my family and I in peace,” Charlus attempted to shout above all the questions.

The family of three made it to the Floo, and by some unspoken agreement between Charlus and Dorea, Charlus dragged Hermione into the fireplace and Flooed home, closely followed by Dorea.

“What was that?” Dorea shouted as soon as she stepped into the sitting room. “How did anybody know we were going to be there today!”

“Dorea, please calm down,” Charlus tried to help.

“Calm down? Clam down! I can’t calm down! We were just accosted inside the Ministry of Magic! This is not how we planned to announce this at all!”

“Announce? Why would we need to announce anything?” Hermione asked, confused.

“Darling, it was a big deal when you went missing. Our family is relatively prominent in our community, not to mention you were the first Potter girl born in oh about three hundred years or so,” Charlus explained. “It was always going to be a big deal that you returned. However, we were hoping to keep it quiet for a little bit and allow you some time to adjust. My guess is somebody saw you walking into the Ministry with us and going to the DMLE. They must have put two and two together and tipped off the press.”

“I want to know who did that and I want them ruined!” Dorea continued to shout.

“Love, you can’t go ruining the life of everybody who has ever crossed you,” the Potter Patriarch placated his wife.

“Oh I can and I will,” Dorea threatened, storming off, shopping trip forgotten for the moment.

“You can really see the Black side of her when she’s upset, can’t you?” Hermione questioned.

Charlus had a slightly stupid grin on his face while chuckling, “Yes you can. It’s been over thirty years of marriage, and it never fails to entertain me. It’s one of the things that originally attracted me to your mother. She complains about Gryffindor stubbornness, but she can be quite stubborn herself when she puts her mind to something.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I was terrible and updated a few days late last week, here is an extra chapter this week. Updates will continue to be on Thursdays. Enjoy my lovely readers!

After the fiasco at the Ministry, they decided it would be best to postpone their trip to Diagon Alley for a few weeks. At least until the press surrounding Hermione’s sudden reappearance calmed down. Hermione couldn't help feeling relieved at this decision - given that she had received enough bad press in her fourth year to last her a lifetime. 

With nothing else on the agenda, she went on to spend her days reading in the library or garden with her parents; when they were busy she opted for wandering the grounds alone. She relished the time to herself, as it gave her the time to think, more importantly, it let her formulate a plan on how she was going to survive her final year at Hogwarts. 

Before she knew it, three weeks had passed, and it was the night before James and Sirius were set to come home. It was dinner time when her Mum and Dad brought up the topic she had been dreading. 

Dorea spoke first. “Darling, we need to discuss tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow? What about it?” 

Charlus and Dorea glanced at each other, having a seemingly silent conversation that only a married couple could, before it was decided upon to let Charlus take the lead. “James and Sirius will be home tomorrow. I expect Lily might be coming to stay for a few days as well. I know you didn’t know James in your time, but he is quite stubborn, and he's been very curious about your past…” he trailed off. 

Dorea picked up where her husband left off before their daughter had a chance to jump in. “What your father is trying to say is that James has been writing to us.”

Hermione sighed, not liking where this conversation was heading. 

“I’m sorry, dear,” Dorea said apologetically, her eyes sincere. “But he has been asking questions about what happened to you. We have managed to put him off telling him he had to wait until the end of term, but as that is tomorrow, he will be asking questions again. After your first night here at the Manor, your father and I agreed to allow you to be the one to decide what we tell James and Sirius and what we keep between the three of us.” 

Hermione thought about this for a few moments. She really didn’t want any of the Marauders to know about her past. It was too dangerous, and she hoped she could keep them from getting too involved in the war, though she knew the likelihood of that was low. But how similar were Harry and James? Would James keep digging until he found the answers like his son used to do, or she guessed would do? Knowing Sirius and Remus as she did in her past, she had a feeling the three of them together were a force to be reckoned with. 

“I don’t want them to know anything just yet. They will already be at the forefront of the fighting no matter how much I wish they would stay out of it. If anybody found out, all of our lives would be forfeit. Do you truly believe they will keep pushing for answers until they are given?” Hermione asked. 

“I do,” Charlus informed his youngest. 

“I don’t know what to do. It’s too dangerous for them to know everything,” Hermione reasoned. “But I don’t want to lie to James.”  
Charlus and Dorea glanced at each other. Neither one enjoyed the thought of lying to their children either, but Hermione had a point. It really was dangerous for more people to know where Hermione had spent the last 12 years.

“Plus my presence here has changed everything. If I am to stop Voldemort, I need everything to remain as close to the original timeline as possible. I have no idea what changes will take place simply since I am here now. I don’t think they should be told anything. Can we simply tell them they can’t know anything right now but we don’t want to insult them by lying?” Hermione asked before her parents could say anything else. 

“Alright, dear. We will tell them it is simply too dangerous to discuss your past,” Charlus agreed. “I will warn you though they will be quite stroppy with all of us,” he chuckled. 

Hermione grinned and waved off her father's warning. “Please, if I can deal with a hormonal Harry Potter and a post-Azkaban Sirius Black who has been cooped up in Grimmauld Place, I’m sure I can deal with an irate James Potter.” 

Both adults only chuckled in response. 

“What are the plans for tomorrow and the rest of the week?” Hermione asked. 

“Well all three of us will be going to meet the train in the afternoon, and we’ll have a celebratory dinner tomorrow night,” Dorea informed her. “Your father and I have been discussing a trip to Diagon Alley this weekend as a family as well. I believe most of the excitement around your return has died down. We should all be able to have a nice day out.” 

“Alright. That sounds quite nice. Will Lily be joining us as well?” 

“James has not informed us yet, but he tends to forget to do things like that,” Charlus chuckled. 

Both Dorea and Hermione rolled their eyes at the same time and muttered about “typical Potter men” before all three of them started laughing. It was at times quite scary how similar Hermione and Dorea were. 

Lily Evans was about five seconds away from hexing James Potter unconscious. He hadn’t been this annoying since before their fifth year, but before she could even raise her wand, Sirius Black spoke up. 

“Prongs, if you don’t stop your incessant pacing and muttering and sit your arse down, I will body-bind you!”

The messy-haired Marauder glared at his supposed best friend before flinging himself into the seat next to his girlfriend. “I can’t help it. What if something has happened to her?” 

“If that were the case Mum and Dad would have told us.” 

“But those articles in The Daily Prophet. She’s never had to deal with that type of publicity. And that picture at the Ministry. She looked terrified about being ambushed,” he continued to complain. 

Sirius and Lily glanced at each other, silently arguing about which one of them would be dealing with the drama that was James Potter this time. 

“James, love. I’m going to find Mary and say bye. I’ll leave the two of you to talk,” Lily, having won their argument, stood up and gathered her bag before giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and leaving the compartment. 

Sirius sighed, “James, first of all, you’re barmy if you thought she looked terrified in that first picture. She looked annoyed more than anything. Honestly, she looked a lot like you do when you miss a goal in Quidditch,” he chuckled. “Second, as I said before if anything were wrong, Mum and Dad would have let us know. You need to calm down before we get there. You can’t smother her, and if you keep this up, your intensity will most likely scare her.” 

James rubbed his hands down his face, then leaned his elbows on his knees. He knew Sirius was right, but he only had a couple of days with her before she left Hogwarts. He just wanted to make sure she was safe. She was half dead when she arrived, and as far as he knew they were still no closer to finding out how or why she had been taken in the first place. 

“But what if whoever took her tries to harm her again? Or comes back for her?” 

“Mum and Dad will protect her. No offence Prongs, but your Mum is a hell of a lot scarier than you are. Merlin help whoever tries to harm her children again, and I have a feeling Hermione is a little more like Mum than she is Dad. She seems like she’d be right terrifying when provoked,” Sirius chuckled. 

James gave Sirius a small smile. “She did survive whatever happened to her, wherever she came from, and at least we will have some answers soon. Mum and Dad promised they would tell us everything when we got home.” 

“See, everything will be fine. We will be home to help Mum and Dad protect her, and then she’ll be off to Hogwarts. There isn’t any place safer than Hogwarts.” 

“You’re right, and I already spoke to Fabian. He agreed to keep an eye on her for me next year.”   
Sirius let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, please let me be there when you tell her that.” 

Hermione stood on the platform next to her parents, patiently waiting for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. She was nervous. She agreed with her parents that they would all sit down after dinner and break it to James, Sirius, and most likely Lily, Remus, and Peter that they wouldn’t be able to tell them what they wanted to know. Not only was it for her safety but for their safety as well.

As the train pulled in, hoards of students began emerging from carriages, the volume on the platform increased tenfold with families being reunited after months-long absences. The smallest ones having just finished their first year, eagerly telling their parents about their adventures. The oldest celebrating with friends that they had finally completed their schooling, that bittersweet feeling having not set in, and probably wouldn’t until the First of September came around again. 

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention and the next thing she knew she was in the air being spun around. “James! You put me down this instant!” Hermione shrieked, hitting his shoulder in protest. 

James laughed, “And how are you, little sister? Are you enjoying the manor? What have you been up to? You haven’t written at all. Hi Mum, hi Dad.” 

Hermione simply rolled her eyes. In the few weeks she had been living at Potter Manor, she had forgotten about James’s enthusiasm for life. “I’m well. The manor is lovely, and I haven’t written because I haven’t had anything to write about.” 

“Well, we have all summer to catch up. Maybe I’ll even take you on some Marauder adventures,” The Potter Heir said with a grin. 

“You will do no such thing, James Potter. You leave your sister out of the trouble you and your hooligan friends get into,” Dorea scolded her first born. 

“Hooligan friends?” Sirius dramatically sauntered up clutching his hands to his chest as if he had been wounded. “You hurt me, Mum. We are hardly hooligans. We are upstanding members of society. Even have our NEWTs and everything.” Sirius leaned down to kiss the cheek of his chosen mother in greeting.

Charlus laughed at the antics of his children. “Upstanding members, you say? I’ll believe that when I see it. And where are the rest of the hooligans and Lily?” 

“They are coming. Lily was saying goodbye to Mary, and I think some of the other Gryffindor girls. Remus and Peter both sat with their girlfriends on the train ride home, but all will be coming back to the Manor for a few days. I think Lily is trying to avoid her house as much as possible. Her sister is getting married next month, and apparently, it is a madhouse.” 

Hermione snorted, quite un-ladylike much to the chagrin of her mother, though said mother only laughed. 

“Hey! What was that for?” 

“I told Mum that there was no way you would have a hoard of people over without at least warning her, nobody would be that rude. But she insisted you would.” 

“Well, they come over every break, I figured by now she would just know they were coming without me telling her,” he defended himself. 

“Alright, enough you two,” Charlus insisted, looking fondly at his two children. “Let’s gather the rest of our brood so we can head home.” 

Ten minutes later, the five Hogwarts graduates, plus Hermione, and the Potter parents had gathered everybody’s trunks and made their way to the public Floo. Once everybody had arrived safely at the Manor, Dorea gave instructions for everybody to head to their rooms to get settled before meeting in the dining room for dinner. 

“Mum, I’ll be out in the garden reading until then,” Hermione informed her parents as everybody dispersed. 

Barely thirty minutes later, Hermione was sitting on a bench in her favorite area of the gardens when she heard a slight shuffling behind her. She turned to look only to find Peter Pettigrew walking up behind her. Despite her month of adjusting to this time period and planning on how to defeat Voldemort, she had yet to decide anything about the rat animagus. She was incredibly uncomfortable around him, and had never once been alone with him, even in the time period she grew up in. She always had back up. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he grinned apologetically. 

“It’s alright. I thought everybody was unpacking.” 

“They are. I’m only going to be here until tomorrow evening. My mum is in France, and I didn’t want to go home to an empty house, but she’ll be back tomorrow.” 

“Oh,” Hermione acknowledged before the two fell into an awkward silence. 

“How are you holding up?” he asked her after a few minutes of tense silence. 

“As well as can be expected. Madame Pomfrey took me off all restrictions after about a week and a half of being here. Though she still demands that I don’t overexert myself.” 

“That’s good. Listen, are you okay?” 

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the boy. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” 

“I don’t know. You seem…uncomfortable,” the older teen observed. 

Apparently, the Marauder was a lot more observant than she gave him credit for. She thought she would be able to just avoid him until she figured out his true colours, but it seemed he had other ideas. 

“I’m fine. I guess I’m still just adjusting to everything. I know Mum and Dad promised James answers, but we agreed to speak with the five of you, especially since James would probably just tell you anyway.” 

“It’s just…” he trailed off. 

“Just what?” Hermione was curious as to what he was going to say. She was unsure what Peter’s motives behind this conversation were, and she was wary. She couldn’t reveal too much to him until she was sure where his loyalties lay. 

He seemed to be debating with himself, deciding if he wanted to continue this conversation or let it drop for now. “James is my best friend. He was my first friend actually. Growing up it was just my mum and me, so I was a little socially awkward when I came to Hogwarts. James looked past all of that and gave me a chance. He tends to mother hen all of us to the detriment of himself sometimes, I just want to make sure he is looked after as well. I owe him a lot, he’s my brother.” 

Confused, Hermione slowly responded, “Okay? I’m not sure where you’re going with this.” 

“James has been incredibly worried about you, especially since he hasn’t heard from you at all. I know you’re going through a lot but don’t take advantage of how much he cares for you. Don’t shut him out, let him help you.” 

To say Hermione was shocked would be an understatement. This man was courageous enough to come to her and practically demand she treat her own brother better. Peter clearly loved James, fully admitted he thought of him as a brother. She was reminded of Neville quite a bit actually. What happened to this man that he would sacrifice his own brother? Before she could respond, Pippy popped in. 

“Dinners is ready young Mistress and Master Petey. Mistress is asking everybody to comes to the dinings room,” the little elf declared before popping away again. 

Peter held his hand out to Hermione to help her up. “Allow me to escort you to the dining room?” 

Silently Hermione nodded and accepted his hand, regarding Peter with apprehension. 

“I’m sorry if you feel I’ve crossed a line talking to you like this. I hope I didn’t offend you. I just knew nobody else would say anything.” 

“Remus and Sirius wouldn’t have said anything if they felt I wasn’t treating James properly?” she inquired. 

“No. Remus would be too concerned about alienating you or James, and Sirius is often too caught up in himself to notice these things. Sirius might say something eventually, but it would take a while.” 

She nodded thoughtfully, silently agreeing with that statement. This Remus would still be terrified at losing his friends, him thinking they would drop him for her wouldn’t be too much of a stretch at this current time. Hermione remembered a brooding Sirius Black from her time at Grimmauld Place, he would often get stuck in his own head and be oblivious to everything going on around him, except for Harry. She assumed that was a trait picked up in Azkaban, but according to Peter, he had always been that way. 

The two made it to the dining room together amid the greetings of the other occupants in the room, and dinner progressed smoothly. Hermione quietly observed the interactions between the Marauders and Lily, especially Peter. She had been wrong about him. She had assumed he was a hanger-on. That he was only friends with the Marauders because of proximity since they all shared a dorm together, but he indeed was one of them. He laughed and joked and teased them. You could tell he cared about all of them. They were indeed his family. It honestly reminded her a little of the Weasleys and Harry at the Burrow. Hermione resolved then and there, she didn’t know what caused him to defect to the Death Eaters, but whatever it was she would stop it. 

After dinner, Charlus directed everybody to the sitting room for after-dinner drinks, in celebration of the five Hogwarts graduates, and for the conversation, she had been dreading. 

“Now that everybody is here and settled, I would like to propose a toast,” Charlus spoke with an authority that Hermione had only seen while he was dealing with some of the Potter accounts. “First congratulations are in order to James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily. You all made it through Hogwarts unscathed and are ready to take on the world, but know that no matter what you five will always have a home here at the Manor. Second, I would just like to say how happy I am that the whole family is here to celebrate with us. I know your mother, and I have said this before, but we could not be happier that you are finally home Hermione.” 

At being called out, Hermione blushed, not one who enjoyed being the center of attention, even if it was only around family. “Thank you, Dad, and congratulations to all of you. I am glad that I am here to celebrate with you as well.” 

James, ever the one to break a mood, jumped in. “Now that we’ve gotten all the mushy stuff out of the way. Can we please finally get some answers?” 

Lily smacked her boyfriend on the back of the head before chastising him, though she was trying to fight a grin. “James! Have a little bit of tact please.” 

Hermione laughed. “No, it’s okay. I know he’s been waiting a while. It hasn’t been fair of me that I haven’t given any information, and I do want to apologize for that. I didn’t consider what my silence would do to you, James.” 

James smiled and nodded at his sister. He didn’t say anything, afraid that if he tried he would start crying. He wanted a relationship with his sister but worried that she wouldn’t want one with him. If she hadn’t, he would have accepted it no matter how much it would hurt him. 

The young witch glanced at Peter, who gave her an encouraging smile. “I want to tell you the truth,” she began. 

“Darling,” Dorea interrupted her, sensing that she was waffling on telling James and the others they would simply have to wait until it was safe. 

“No, Mum. It’s okay.” Dorea sat down next to her daughter and put her arm around her shoulders. Hoping to give Hermione the confidence she needed. “I was raised by the name Hermione Granger. My parents were muggles, dentists actually. There - there is a lot I can’t tell you. I know the story we put out there is that I was raised in Australia and went to school there. My family and I were attacked, and my parents were killed. Due to family magic, I was sent to James to heal. That is all I’m able to tell you right now. Please don’t be upset but I can’t answer any of your questions. At least not yet. I promise one day I will tell all of you everything, just let me do it on my own time.” 

James looked indignant, while everybody else merely looked confused. “No!” the Potter Heir shouted. “Mum, Dad. You promised me the truth, and now I’m getting some half story you told the world and a promise of one day. I’m part of this family too. I deserve to know the truth about how my sixteen-year-old sister ended up half-dead in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds! How am I supposed to protect her if I don’t even know what I’m protecting her from!” 

Charlus raised himself to his full height. “Watch your tone son. You may be of age, but you are still under my roof. This was not our decision. Your mother and I agreed to let Hermione decide what to tell you. As much as you feel entitled to know everything, your mother and I will be able to protect her, and honestly from what she has told us she has done a pretty good job of protecting herself.” 

“This is bullshit,” James declared standing up to face his father, angry at the situation. Angry that he couldn’t protect his sister and it seemed he never would be able to. “We’re a family. What happened to making decisions together?” With that James stalked out of the room, intent on clearing his head. 

“I’ll talk to him. I’ll get him to see reason,” Lily quickly stood up to follow him out and left. 

“That went well,” Hermione then gulped down her elven wine and caught a glimpse of Sirius smirking at her, while Remus studied her with a carefully blank expression and Peter looked confused. 

“Are you three angry with me as well then?” she asked. 

“No, I’m sure you have your reasons. We all have our secrets.” Remus answered, he of all people should know about that. 

Peter, still confused, wanted to know why. “I don’t understand, what could be so bad that you can’t tell the family?” 

“I did tell the family. Mum and Dad know everything, but it would be too dangerous for anything to get out. I don’t believe that anybody would willingly betray us, but   
I don’t want to put anybody in danger by giving them information they don’t need to know,” the curly-haired witch reasoned. 

“Well, now you have me curious.” Sirius leaned forward, a spark of curiosity unmistakable in his stormy eyes. “What could a little girl like you know that could cause so much danger?” 

“Trust me, it’s better this way,” Hermione assured everybody in the room. “Right now, the less you know, the better. One day you will know everything, and then we’ll see if you agree with my decision to keep my secrets.” 

“Alright, enough serious talk. Don’t say it dear,” Dorea commanded as soon as she saw Sirius open his mouth to make a joke. “Honestly”–she shook her head with fondness–“you think you would have grown out of those silly puns by now. I really thought your jokes would have become more refined.” 

“Never, Mum,” Sirius said with a grin. 

Dorea smiled at her adoptive son and stood up looping her arm with her husband’s. “We are off to bed. You four don’t stay up too late. Peter, will you be joining us for dinner tomorrow night or leaving sometime in the afternoon?” 

“I’ll be leaving after tea, Ma’am.” 

“Oh, dear. How many times have I told you to call me Dorea or even Mrs. Potter?”

Peter cheekily smiled back. “I don’t know, I lost count around five hundred, Ma’am.”

Dorea rolled her eyes at the boy. “Alright, we will see you all in the morning.” 

She gave each of her children a kiss on the cheek, while Charlus kissed his daughter on the top of her head and shook the hands of the three young men. The two adults then departed for the evening. 

As soon as the door closed and the footsteps faded away, Sirius clapped his hands together. “Alright, now who is ready to celebrate for real with something a little stronger?” He walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a full bottle of firewhiskey. 

“I’m in,” Remus responded. 

Peter quickly agreed with a “me too”, and all three looked at Hermione. 

“Oh no, not a chance. I don’t drink firewhiskey. In fact, I think I’m going to go to the library for a new book and head to bed.” 

Amid the boos and playful jeers, Hermione laughed and wished everybody a good night, closing the door behind her. Halfway down the hall, she ran into James and Lily. James wouldn’t look her in the eye, and Lily gave her a sympathetic smile. She gave her boyfriend a quick kiss and then muttered something in his ear that Hermione couldn’t hear.

After Lily departed into the sitting room, the two siblings stood in the hall awkwardly facing each other. 

“So…” Hermione began. 

“So…” her brother imitated.

Hermione realised she would have to be the one to initiate this conversation, and as much as she didn’t want to, she knew now would probably be the best time. “I’m sorry. I know you’re angry, but I really am trying to do what is best for everybody. I’m trying to protect all of us.” 

James sighed. “Hermione it’s not your job to protect me. I’m your big brother, that’s what I’m supposed to do. I just want to know how to help you.”

Hermione giggled. He really was so much like Harry. “You know it’s not your job to save everybody. You said so yourself, we’re family. We’re supposed to protect each other. It’s not one person’s job. If I were to tell you everything would you be able to keep it a secret from every single person in that room?” 

He thought about it for a moment before agreeing. “No, you’re right. I would tell them everything most likely. I always have.” 

“The more people who know the truth, the more danger I am in, and so is everybody else. So by you not knowing that is protecting me. I really need you to trust me. Please,” Hermione begged. 

After a few moments of silence, where Hermione could tell James was battling with himself, he conceded. “Alright, I’m sorry I was a bit of a git. I’m thrilled we are both home.” He pulled her into a hug, which she returned tightly. 

“Me too,” she whispered. “Now, go spend time with your friends. Enjoy the fact you are finally free from Hogwarts. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Good night!” he called down the hall as he headed back towards the sitting room, Hermione headed in the opposite direction. 

The next few days were relatively quiet at Potter Manor. Peter went home after tea on that first day, while Lily left a couple of days later after receiving a letter from her mother informing her she was needed at home for the final preparations for her sister’s wedding. She left with promises to return soon and muttering about how her sister didn’t even want her there in the first place. Hermione felt awful for Lily. While she never had the pleasure of meeting Petunia and Vernon Dursley, she had heard enough stories about how terrible the two of them were. 

Everyday James, Sirius, and Remus were up and out of the house immediately following breakfast and wouldn’t return until just before dinner. Based on her parent's actions they knew what the three were doing, but everybody was remaining tight-lipped about their activities. 

About a week following the end of the term it was finally decided to go to Diagon Alley, but instead of just Hermione and her mother, the whole family would be going. It seemed Charlus had some things to take care of at Gringotts and wanted to bring James along to show him what would eventually be James’s responsibility, and Sirius and Remus decided to tag along with the rest of the Potter’s. So following breakfast, the whole family departed for Diagon Alley via Floo into the Leaky Cauldron. 

“Alright, love,” Charlus addressed his wife. “We’ll most likely be a few hours. Shall we meet here for lunch?” 

“Sounds lovely. We’ll see you then.” Charlus kissed the cheeks of both his wife and daughter, with James doing the same, and the two men departed into the alley. 

“We’re headed to Quality Quidditch Supplies, and then I’m sure Remus will want to go to Flourish and Blotts,” Sirius informed his adoptive mother, while Remus nodded in agreement with that plan. 

“Why don’t we meet you at Flourish and Blotts before lunch. I’m sure Hermione will want to stop there as well.” Dorea chuckled at her daughter’s enthusiastic grin at the prospect of a trip to the bookstore. 

Each group parted ways once they entered the alley, and Hermione was dragged by her mother to Twilfitt and Tattings. 

“Mum, why can’t we just go to Madame Malkins? I’ve gotten all of my robes from her.” 

“We’ve only shopped at Twilfitt’s for years. I’m sure Madame Malkins is lovely, but the employees here know our family’s preferences. Plus, I was able to inform them that we were coming today so they should already have pulled some styles for us. I know you aren’t a huge fan of shopping. This way the process will be quicker.” 

“It’s not that I hate shopping, I just feel there are better uses of my time,” Hermione defended herself. 

Dorea teased her daughter, “Except when it’s at a bookstore, I’m guessing?” 

“There are some intellectual pursuits to be found at a bookstore, and I for one do feel that learning is a better use of my time.” 

Doera laughed at her daughter’s precociousness, something she had not seemed to grow out of. 

“Let me guess you’re going to be a Ravenclaw,” a voice said from behind Hermione. 

“Madame Tatting! How wonderful to see you?” Dorea greeted her with a broad smile. “I trust everything is ready for my Hermione? Darling, let me introduce you to Bathsheba Tatting. She’s been a family friend for years. Madame this is my youngest, Hermione.” 

“Of course, I have everything set up through here,” Madame Tatting gestured through the curtains into a large fitting room. “It is a pleasure to meet you, or should I say re-meet you. I used to dress you when you were a baby.” 

“Pleasure,” Hermione returned the sentiment, still unsure how to act around people who knew her as Charlotte rather than Hermione. “Mum has said that you are the only place to go when it comes to robes for anything. I was hoping to just get a few day robes, and maybe one set of dress robes?” She glanced at her mother, hoping she would approve. 

“Only one set of dress robes?” Bathsheba seemed to be offended. “Nonsense! You will have a full wardrobe, and that includes dress robes for every season.” She then grabbed Hermione by the arm and pulled her into the fitting room to begin discussing styles, fabrics, and everything else she could think of. 

Dorea followed the two into the dressing room to sit on the couch that was provided and watched the interaction, adding her input whenever Hermione glanced her way. An hour later, at least two dozen sets of robes for all occasions had been decided on, Hermione had been measured, and the proprietor of the shop assured the Potter women the robes would be delivered to Potter Manor by the end of the day tomorrow. Both women left the shop relieved. 

“Mum,” Hermione began hesitantly, unsure how her mother would take her request. 

“Yes, love?” 

“I was wondering, maybe not today, but at some point would we be able to go to Muggle London to get some Muggle clothes? Not that I don’t like the robes we just bought, but I’m just more comfortable in my jeans and jumpers.” Hermione bit her lip nervously. 

Dorea looked at her daughter, apparently scared of her response. While Dorea was hesitant with the Muggle world, she had nothing against it. “I think that would be fine, though I’m not familiar at all with Muggle London. You can ask James and Sirius to take you, I know they venture into the city much more often than your father and I ever have.” 

Hermione stared incredulously at her mother and then burst out laughing. “You want me to ask James and Sirius to go shopping with me? Funnily enough, I don’t see that ending well.” 

After thinking about it for a moment, Dorea joined in on Hermione’s laughter. “You may be right about that. Well, how about Lily? She is Muggleborn. I’m sure she will be up to date on all the latest styles, and I know she will be your sister one day. From what I hear she could use one of those. James has told me about her relationship with her own sister, and from what you’ve said...” Dorea trailed off. 

“Yes, I am not the biggest fan of Petunia personally,” Hermione muttered darkly. “But inviting Lily shopping does seem like a good idea. I have always wanted to get to know Lily Potter. From the stories everybody told me, she’s quite lovely.” 

“Come on darling, let’s go see if Sirius has destroyed Flourish and Blotts yet,” Dorea looped her arm through her daughter’s, and the two set off down the alley. 

Upon entering the bookstore, the Potter women heard a crash coming from the back of the store. Dorea sighed, “I believe we’ve found Sirius. I’m going to go make sure he hasn’t broken anything of value.” 

“Alright, I’m going to head upstairs and see if I can find anything,” Hermione waved her mother off and went to explore the more obscure texts Flourish, and Blotts carried. 

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was already surrounded by a stack of books she had charmed to follow her around when she spied a first edition text on Ancient Runes, something that was near impossible to find in the 90s, unfortunately for her, it was at the top of the shelf. 

Just as she was reaching up to get it, she felt a presence behind her reaching up to grab the same text. She whirled around intent on demanding the book, ready to inform this person she had eyed it first, when she came face to face, well more like face to chest, with a set of expensive looking robes covering a broad and, what seemed like a muscular, chest. She looked up to determine the identity of the man who dared to take her book only to see it was Regulus Black.

“Oh shit,” Hermione whispered, not realizing she had said it outloud first.

Regulus smirked, “Oh sorry, were you hoping to get this book as well?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I spotted it first, so if you would please hand it over,” Hermione demanded indignantly while holding out her hand. 

“Yes, but I grabbed it first.” 

“I would have grabbed it first if I was as tall as you.” 

Regulus laughed, his eyes sparkling with...something. This was a different side of Regulus that Hermione had never expected. Granted she had only been briefly introduced over the span of about five minutes, so it’s not like she had gotten a great read on his personality. But if she didn’t know any better, she would say he was almost flirting with her. 

“Well, you must learn to use your advantages. You could have used your wand to levitate it to you. Are you a witch or not?”   
Hermione flushed, she had been in the Wizarding World for nearly eight years, and she still did the majority of things the Muggle way. “Yes, well. Old habits die hard I guess.”

“Old habits?” Regulus questioned. 

“I was raised in the Muggle world. I tend to still do things the Muggle way because of that.” 

“Aren’t you full of surprises Miss Potter?” 

“Hermione,” she immediately corrected him. 

“Hermione?” 

“Yes. You can call me by my first name. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in school this coming year.” 

“You’re sure about that? Your brother seemed intent on us never speaking if he had anything to say about it,” Regulus reminded her. 

It was Hermione’s turn to laugh now. “As if James Potter has any control over who I am or am not friends with. I know it’s out of love, but I can take care of myself.” 

Regulus stared at the small witch for a moment before responding. “You’re so sure we’ll be friends? What if I don’t want to be friends?” 

“Fine if we aren’t friends, based on your chosen reading material I believe we’ll at least be intellectual adversaries.” 

“I believe even if we are friends, we will still be intellectual adversaries.” 

The two teens stared at each other for a few more seconds before Regulus broke the silence, “Well I must be off. It was nice seeing you again...Hermione.” The boy spun on his heel and stalked off down the aisle, with the Ancient Runes book still in his hand. 

“Wait just one second! You still have my book!” The curly-haired witch demanded, stalking after the youngest Black, catching up to him at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Your book?” Regulus asked. “I was under the impression it was my book, as I am the one currently holding it.” 

“Yes, but I told you I spotted it first,” Hermione argued. “You know a gentleman would concede and hand over the book.” 

The two continued to walk together towards the register, with Hermione’s towering stack of books following her. 

“Yes, but I am also a Slytherin, and we never hand over our advantages. I’ve been searching for this book for ages. I’m not about to give it up now,” he reasoned while paying for the apparently much-coveted text on Ancient Runes. He then waited for the witch while she took care of her purchases. 

“Fine. Keep the damn thing. I’ll find another copy,” Hermione sniffed haughtily. 

The two walked out of the store, Hermione intent on finding her family, and Regulus to go wherever he had planned to next. Unfortunately, they walked right into an argument between both of their mothers. 

Walburga quickly spotted Hermione and turned her attention towards her. 

“Ah, the Blood Traitor’s daughter has finally returned. You must be so glad to have her back, Aunt Dorea,” she taunted. “A shame she has been tainted by Muggles though.”

Hermione was reminded of the banshee’s portrait in Grimmauld Place and immediately wished she was able to pull curtains over her face to shut her up. 

“We are very relieved to have her back.” Dorea reached out to stroke a curl of Hermione’s before snapping her steely gaze back to Walburga. “It has been a wonderful week having all three of our children together under one roof.”

Walburga’s left eye twitched but she quickly threw back a veiled insult of her own. “Yes, three children and three times as much potential for disappointment and shame being brought upon your family's name.”

Dorea immediately sprang into action, separating Hermione and Walburga. “Oh Walburga, my darling niece, I would hate to hex you for speaking to my daughter in such a manner but make no mistake, just because we share blood does not mean I will hesitate to curse you.” 

“You are a disgrace to Wizardkind!” The Black Matriarch shrieked. “You and your whole family! Serves you right the Patriarch blasting you off the family tree once you married that Potter. You let your son go off gallivanting with filthy muggles and mudbloods! I’m sure you’re raising your daughter to be a harlot and just as loose as you were! My father told me stories, warning me of the dangers of becoming like his disgraced sister.” 

Dorea remained unphased by the shrieks of her niece. She sniffed and gave the mad woman a cool smile. “Well, I do believe you would be the expert on what qualifies as a harlot, are you not? If I recall, your father did catch you with Edmund Bulstrode before your marriage to Orion.” 

Walburga’s face turned a shade of red that Hermione had only ever seen on a lobster. At that moment, many things happened. Walburga pulled her wand and directed it at her aunt, while Hermione noticed as her father stepped up to her mother’s side, leaving James, Sirius, and Remus off to the side pulling their wands out as well, ready to defend the woman all of them saw as a mother. 

“You’re causing a scene, Dorea,” Charlus hissed, pulling on his wife’s sleeve, while also pulling out his wand, intent on defending his wife if necessary but knowing she would much rather fight her own battles, especially when it came to her estranged family. 

“Charlus, love. I am not causing a scene. If you would like to see me cause a scene I gladly will.” 

Not backing down, Dorea brushed his arm off and swiftly walked up to Walburga, raised her hand and delivered a swift slap to her cheek. 

The sound echoed throughout the street that had gone dead quiet as soon as the fight escalated.

“Go, Mum,” James and Sirius chorused in support, clapping their hands in approval. 

“If you ever raise your wand to me or my own again, I will do a hell of a lot more than bitch slap you,” Dorea hissed. 

Charlus gasped, remembering only one other time when his wife had become so worked up she cursed. 

Walburga, wisely, backed away and directed her attention towards her youngest son, completely ignoring her eldest. “Regulus. Come. We have better things to do than stand here and attempt to converse civilly with this filth.” She turned around with her nose in the air, clearly expecting nothing less than her son following her direct orders. 

Regulus stepped around the Potter family before he walked away though he winked at Hermione and called out, “See you at school, Hermione.” At her nod, he then followed his mother and disappeared into the crowd. 

Hermione turned to face her brother, whose face was approaching the color of a tomato. “What the bloody hell was that all about?” 

“Well that was two people who enjoy the same subjects and who go to the same school agreeing to see each other at said school,” Hermione replied sassily. 

“I thought I told you to stay away from him? He’s bad news,” James demanded.

“Prongs is right, Hermione,” Sirius interjected. “I know my brother. He’s mixed up with the wrong crowd. You don’t want to get involved.” 

“Love,” Charlus tried to mediate. “Sirius and James may be right. They know Regulus, and they know the people that Regulus spends his time with. They aren’t people that are appropriate for someone like you.” 

“I understand where this is coming from, but as I told James after I met Regulus the first time he has been nothing but pleasant to me and until such a time that changes if we see each other I will be nothing but pleasant to him. I like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character,” Hermione stressed, trying to silently convey to her parents that she knew the kind of person Regulus was. 

Dorea seemed to understand before Charlus did, and she pulled her daughter in for a hug. “We trust you dearly. We just ask that you be careful. Now come on, all of you. I’m starving. Let’s get some lunch and go home.” 

After the incident in the alley, lunch, in which nobody dared bring up Dorea’s slap of Walburga, was quite pleasant. Everybody joked with each other, and Hermione for the first time had a real feeling of contentment in the 70s. 

Later, as Hermione entered her room to go to sleep, she found the Ancient Runes text from Flourish and Blotts on her pillow. That was the first time Hermione slept through the night without any nightmares.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I hope everybody enjoys this update. Giving Peter a bit more of a back story here, as well as Lily and Hermione getting some quality time together!!

_ Family Feud in Diagon Alley _

_ By Trenton Applebaum _

_ Yesterday in Diagon Alley, the public was able to bear witness to a family feud that’s been decades in the making. Lady Dorea Potter neé Black and Lady Walburga Black were sighted arguing outside of Flourish and Blotts. Witnesses state they heard Lady Black calling into question the morals of both Lady Potter, as well as the newly returned Charlotte Potter, before drawing her wand on the family, including her own estranged son, Sirius Black. Lady Potter, in response, didn’t bother with a wand. She warned the Lady Black of attacking any members of her family before swiftly slapping her across her cheek, at which point Lady Black and the current Black heir, Regulus, departed. _

_ Everybody has heard the rumors of the infamous Black family and their penchant to disown their members when they make decisions that go against the family’s traditional values, or you have unless you’ve been living under a rock. Decades ago Dorea Potter neé Black was disowned after her marriage to Charlus Potter. It was widely known the Black and Potter families did not get along, and with the elopement between Mr. and Mrs. Potter, a well-known marriage contract between the Black and Lestrange families went unfulfilled. _

_ More recently the Black heir, Sirius, was disowned by his family and was taken in by the Potter family. It is not known to anybody outside the two families as to the cause of the disownment. _

“What a load of rubbish,” Charlus Potter snorted and threw the  _ Daily Prophet _ on the table. “Is there any chance this family could go a week without being in the paper?” He pinched his nose in frustration as the photo cycled through again, showing the slap in wonderful detail.

In response, Dorea smirked over her cup of tea. “Now darling, where would the fun in that be? You knew I would always keep things interesting when you married me.”

He sighed and gave his wife a reluctant smile. “That I did, love, that I did.” 

“Why are we in the paper this time?” Hermione asked, in between bites of strawberry.

“Oh, just that silly little spat with Walburga.” Dorea rolled her eyes. “It’s really nothing to worry about.”

Hermione imitated her father and snorted. “Oh, I’m not worried. Just curious. It’s not that cow Rita Skeeter is it? I’m not really sure when she will begin writing.”

“I don’t know who Rita Skeeter is, but what did she ever do to you?” Charlus wondered aloud, looking at his daughter with interest.

“Ah, she’s just a journalist who prefers to write sensational pieces rather than fact. Propaganda queen that she was, she’d spread rumors about Harry and I, well she did until I discovered a secret of hers. Then she was less inclined to at least write lies.” Hermione smirked, remembering keeping the little bug in the jar. She hoped to avoid the beetle this time around, but if push came to shove she wouldn’t hesitate to report her this time around.

Charlus studied his daughter further, appearing to not like her tone. “You look far too much like your mother right now with that look on your face.” He pointed his finger between the two of them but chuckled when Dorea threw her napkin at him.

Hermione laughed at her parent’s antics, and told her father, “Why thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should, darling,” Dorea said beaming at her daughter. “Always better to be like mother like daughter, than like father like son.” She smiled cheekily over her cup of tea at Charlus who sputtered at being the influence who’d corrupted their son.

From there, breakfast descended into a battle of the wits between the Potter’s, and Hermione could see how she was related to this family after all. 

“Now see here, I am not the one who introduced James to itching powder,” Charlus argued, refusing to accept sole responsibility for James’s pranking ways.

“Hmm…” muttered Dorea non-committally, “That may be but it was you who gave him the invisibility cloak at the age of seven and told him ‘mummy wanted to play hide-and-seek’.”

“Yes, well who taught him that hair growing hex?” The Potter Patriarch mock-glared at his wife, remembering how his son managed to make his already messy hair grow past his waist, while his oh so loving wife laughed and refused to undo the hex until they went to bed that night.

Hermione laughed at the banter between her parents, it seemed that James had continuously been egged on by both of their parents growing up. “Was it always like this between the three of you?”

“Always.” Dorea rolled her eyes, “A couple of years after your disappearance, it was hard getting back into a normal routine. One night your father and I were arguing about something, I can’t even remember what at this point, but James didn’t care for it. He had a small bout of accidental magic and glued our tongues to the roofs of our mouths. After that it turned into somewhat of a prank war, each of us trying to get James on our side.”

“Since then,” Charlus continued, “it’s only continued, but once James went to Hogwarts we limited the pranks to holidays when James was home, though he started participating on his own. Once Sirius and the other boys started coming over it turned into every wizard for himself.” Dorea cleared her throat, and Charlus amended with a smile for his wife, “Or witch. Just beware, at some point, the boys will probably try to get you.”

“Please,” Hermione snorted. “If they try anything they will quickly learn why most of my house was scared of me, and I doubt they can be any worse than the Weasley twins. They literally made their living on pranks. Opened a joke shop while they were still at Hogwarts, and were actually doing pretty well for themselves until they closed down and went into hiding.” Hermione had finished her breakfast during their conversation. “I’m going to spend most of the day in the library. Is there any way you could attempt to keep James and Sirius away from there for at least an hour after they wake up? I would like some peace and quiet today.”

“We will do what we can dear, though no guarantees,” Dorea informed her with a wink..

Hermione then left the table and quickly gave her mother and father a kiss on the cheek before heading to her favorite place in the whole manor.

  
  


The youngest Potter got her wish that day and then some. For two hours it was blissful silence, but as the doors of the library burst open, and James and Sirius barged in with their usual fanfare, she knew that her quiet time was over for the foreseeable future. She was relieved to see Remus following at a much more sedate pace. She mock-glared at her brother and his friends over the top of her book. “Is it necessary to cause so much destruction wherever you go?”

James grinned, tugging at the bottom of her book. “Of course it is my darling little sister. Gotta keep life interesting.” He informed her as he sat next to her on the sofa and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side-hug. Hermione simply rolled her eyes as Sirius collapsed on the sofa across from the two Potter siblings, and Remus gently sat down next him, looking exhausted.

Hermione looked at Remus with concern. “Are you alright Remus? You don’t look well.”

Remus gave the young witch a weak smile. “I’m alright. Just feeling a little under the weather. I’m going to head home tonight until I’m better. I should be fine in a couple of days,” he assured her.

She continued to look at him before she realized the full moon was tomorrow night, so she simply nodded. “Well, I hope you feel better soon. Now, is there a reason you three are disturbing my reading?”

Sirius grinned. “Actually, there is. Prongs?” Sirius gestured to James. 

“Well you see...the thing is…” James uncharacteristically stuttered. “I need...oh Merlin. I want to…”

“James wants your help,” Sirius spat out for James.

Hermione narrowed her eyes.“With what?”

“I want to propose to Lily,” James blurted out, cringing a little at his loud tone. 

Hermione laughed, “Why do you have that look on your face?”

“What look?” James asked.

“You look like you’re preparing for your death. Shouldn’t you be thrilled?”

“Yes. I am.” James nodded, looking so in love that Hermione could just imagine the cartoon love hearts in his hazel eyes.

“Ahuh, so what’s the problem?” she prompted, needing more details.

“Nothing,” he insisted. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Lily. I just…” James trailed off again, looking unsure of what to say.

Hermione looked to Sirius and Remus hoping they could give her some clue as to what was wrong with James. Both wizards rolled their eyes before Remus offered an explanation. “James is worried you wouldn’t take it well. You’ve only been home for a little over a month. He doesn’t want you to feel like he is abandoning you.”

The witch turned to look at her brother, who was cringing slightly, processing what she was just told. “James that is absolutely ridiculous. I would never feel like you were abandoning me. Weren’t you the one who was telling me how we’re a family and will always look out for each other? I doubt that you marrying Lily will change any of that. Besides, I know you had a life before I came back. I don’t expect everybody to put their lives on pause while I adjust.” She pulled her brother in for a hug.

“We’ve missed so much of each other’s lives, I just don’t want to miss anymore,” James whispered.

“I know, but unfortunately we won’t be able to get those years back, and in order for us to not miss anything in each other’s lives, you have to actually live your life. That includes you getting married and having a family. Now tell me about your proposal,” Hermione demanded, poking him in the arm for good measure. Usually switching the topic to anything Lily related was a good way to lift James’s spirits.

“Well actually, I know what I want to do, but I need your help with a part of it, my dear sister,” James said with a grin, that Hermione really didn’t like the look of.

She shook her head. “If you’re planning to propose with a prank, I can tell you now that is a mad idea.” 

James looked affronted, and sheepish at the same time, so Hermione assumed that she was right on the money there. Sighing, she finally put aside her book and gave her brother the most patient look she could spare. “What was your plan B?”

James picked at some imaginary lint on his shirt before mumbling, “I don’t really have one…” 

“How we are related I’ll never know,” Hermione sighed in exasperation. “Alright, listen up, this is what you should do…”

And so she began to rattle of her plan to her brother, and with a few suggestions from his friends and James himself, the four teenagers were able to put their heads together to finalize the plans of Operation: Mrs. Prongs.

  
  


Hermione came through the floo of the Leaky Cauldron almost three weeks later. Her father and brother finally had agreed to let her go into Muggle London alone. Well almost alone, she was meeting Lily at the Leaky and the two of them were finally going shopping in Muggle London.

Lily had been coerced to stay at home until after Petunia and Vernon had returned from their honeymoon so the whole family could help them get set up at their house in Little Whinging. Hearing about the house, Hermione had wanted to go burn the place down to the ground or at least try and convince Peeves to move in. Her father had stopped her in her tracks though, so now the newlywed Dursleys were settled into their home, sans a poltergeist, and Lily was able to join the Potters at the Manor for a few weeks. Unbeknownst to her though, by the end of the month, she would be engaged (if everything went according to plan and James didn’t propose to her with a damned onion ring), and she and James would be moving into their own cottage in Godric’s Hollow.

Hermione had hoped to convince her brother to live in any other Potter property, except the one where in a different timeline James and Lily died, as Hermione didn’t know if she could take the added stress of ever stepping foot in that place. The last and only time she had ever been to Godric’s Hollow had been Christmas, and she and Harry had been attacked by Nagini. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to look at the cottage and not see the wreckage where her brother and sister-in-law had died. However, James was just as stubborn as Hermione, and he just knew that Lily would love to live in a country setting, so without being able to give him a good enough reason James was not to be deterred.

As the curly-haired witch stepped through the floo, she noticed Lily had yet to arrive so she decided to order the two of them butterbeers and take a seat at one of the tables. Barely five minutes had passed before Lily walked through the door that led to Muggle London, and spotted Hermione sitting in the middle of the room.

“Hermione!” Lily greeted, hugging the younger witch as she got up to greet her future sister-in-law. “How have you been?”

“Wonderful! Though I’m about ready to burst at being stuck in the house so much. Were James and Sirius always so…bothersome?” Hermione laughed, as the two sat back down to finish the butterbeers before starting their day.

“Always!” Lily agreed. “How many times have they pranked you since they’ve been home?”

“Only once, a couple of weeks ago. They learned their lesson after that. Especially about disturbing me in the library.”

Lily laughed in response. “Good. I learned after about third year that you have to put your foot down with the two of them. Once you prank them back, they’ll learn not to mess with you. Isn’t Sirius supposed to move out soon anyway though?”

“Yeah, he and Remus apparently bought a flat and the three of them have been working on it all summer. I think Peter helps sometimes as well, though James said that he is already working at an apothecary here in Diagon Alley. I didn’t know he was good at potions.”

Lily, taking a sip of her drink while Hermione talked, nodded before responding. “Yeah, Peter is brilliant at them actually. Potions was one of my best subjects but only because Peter tutored me. There was only one other person in our class who was more of a natural at Potions than him. I know both of them are hoping to get a Mastery in the subject.”

“What about you?” Hermione prompted. “What do you want to do?”

“I start Healer training on 1st of September actually. I can’t wait. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor and once I discovered I was a witch, I knew a healer would be just as rewarding of a career,” Lily gushed. “But enough about me. Are you ready to go? We can talk more while we shop.”

Hermione nodded and the two witches headed out into Muggle London.

It wasn’t until they got to the first store that academics were brought up again. “So what classes are you planning on taking this year? Are they any different than at your old school?” Lily asked.

“No, all the classes are the same actually. I’ll be taking all of the core courses except History of Magic, and I’m also taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.”

“Wow! That’s a lot of NEWTs. Do you think you can take that many classes?”

“Oh yes. I’m used to taking a full course load. My third year I actually took every single class that was offered. It did cause some issues with my schedule and it was slightly overwhelming but I managed. It also allowed me to figure out which classes were especially important to me.”

“That makes sense. Just don’t overburden yourself. James will worry if you make yourself sick. I think we would all worry.”

Hermione smiled at Lily, knowing she was just as concerned about her well-being as James was. Harry was (or will be?) a lucky kid, having such caring parents. “Thank you, but I’ll be okay.”

“Do you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?” Lily inquired.

“Not really, I’ve always had a passion for Equal Rights. I think I may want to work at the Ministry in the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. It’s absolutely barbaric the way witches and wizards treat those they deem less than human!”

If Lily smiled any bigger her face would have split in two. “I think we’re going to be great friends Hermione. I completely agree with you.”

The two spent the next few minutes comparing their ideas on house elves, centaurs, goblins, werewolves, merpeople, while pulling jeans, jumpers, dresses, skirts, and any other article of clothing they could find to try on when Lily brought up Peter again, which made Hermione curious.

“You and Peter seem pretty close,” Hermione commented.

“Oh.” Lily seemed surprised by her comment but continued on, “Well, I guess we are. I was friends with him way before I gave James the time of day.” Both witches picked up their large stack of clothes, and Lily gestured towards the back of the store. “Come on. Let’s head to the fitting room and try these on. I think we’ve exhausted what we can find.”

Luckily the fitting room was empty so the two witches could talk freely, though Lily did cast a  _ Muffliato _ just in case anybody walked near.

“Why is that?” Hermione pressed Lily for more details, unable to shake her curiosity. She’d never heard of Peter’s friendship with Lily being so strong in the future.

Lily called through the thin fitting room walls, “Why is what?”

“Why were you friends with Peter first?”

“I told you earlier he and another boy in our class were the two best in our year at Potions. That other boy and I grew up together and he, Peter and I used to study together. I always wanted to be the best. I just felt as if I had more to prove than everybody else.”

Hermione could hear the shrug in her words and was mulling over what Lily had said when she heard the sound of curtains being drawn back followed by a very loud and insistent, “Come out! I want to see what you have on.”

Hermione exited her fitting room and smiled sympathetically, completely understanding Lily’s point of view, as she had felt the same way during her time at Hogwarts. “I get that. I grew up Muggle and didn’t want to give anybody any reason to think I didn’t belong.”

“Exactly!” Lily agreed. “Well even when curfew had passed and I still wanted to study, my friend had to go back to his common room, and Peter would sit up with me going over everything I wanted. Even after he became friends with the other three and could sometimes be unbearable, and after I had a falling out with my other friend, Peter was always there for me every test and any other time I needed somebody. Also, I love those jeans on you.”

“Really?” Hermione was skeptical. “Don’t you think they’re a little tight?” She was wearing a pair of bell-bottom jeans that were practically painted onto her body. She had the hardest time getting into them, but this was the 70s and this was the style.

“No. They’re perfect. Though I think James might have a fit with that much of you on display.” Lily giggled.

Hermione chuckled. “Are you trying to get me locked away for the rest of my life?”

“Nope. Just trying to see how far I can push your brother before his head explodes.” The redhead smirked. “I’ve never seen him this responsible or overprotective. It’s quite amusing to watch.”

“I’m glad that we can be of entertainment to you,” Hermione retorted. She paused and thought about what she wanted to ask before she did. “Could you tell me more about Peter? I’ve barely had time with him but I’ve gotten to know the others. I’d like to get to know him as well, seeing as he’s considered part of the family too.”

“Of course! You should ask James to invite him and his mum over for dinner one night, that way you can get to know him for yourself as well,” Lily suggested.

“What about his dad?” Hermione questioned.

Lily looked uncertain and bit her lip. “I don’t recommend bringing up his dad. Peter’s dad left when Peter was still a baby and refused any contact with Peter or his mum. It’s always just been the two of them. He is really close and protective of his mum because of it. I think that’s also why he said something to you our first night back from Hogwarts.”

Surprised, Hermione asked, “How do you know about that?”

“He told me about it. Worried he was out of line. Pete has a huge heart, and not having his dad in his life, especially finding out that his dad abandoned him, well...it definitely affected him. He doesn’t want you to abandon the Potters and go back to those that raised you, he worries what that abandonment would do to all of us.”

Hermione thought about this for a moment before she put her hand on Lily’s arm, causing Lily to look her in the eyes. “I would never abandon any of you. I hope you all know that. All of my friends and family are gone, and even if they weren’t now that I know about what happened, I wouldn’t go back. This is where I belong.”

The two witches hugged, and Lily had small tears running down her face. She wiped at her eyes after pulling away before she declared, “Alright enough of this. We’re supposed to be having a fun girls day. Let’s finish up here and head on to the next store.”

The two chatted the rest of the day about absolutely nothing while they flitted from store to store, eventually landing in a Muggle bookstore where both stocked up on a couple of new fiction titles, as well as a cookbook in Lily’s case.

“So I think we’re done,” Lily declared. “I don’t think my purse could take me spending any more money.”

Hermione laughed along with Lily, “I think Dad would agree with you on that one. He did tell me to get whatever I needed but I doubt he expected all of this.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to the Leaky and I’ll be over later tonight once I’ve finished packing. I love my parents but I can’t wait to get out from under their roof for a little bit while I look for a place of my own.”

“Lily,” Hermione exclaimed. “I almost completely forgot. I actually have to meet Mum and Dad at Hogwarts. We’re meeting with Professor Dumbledore. Would you mind apparating me there? I’ve just never been to Hogsmeade and I don’t want to get lost getting to the Headmaster’s office.” She fibbed.

“Of course. There is an apparition point up ahead,” Lily informed her.

The two ducked into the alley, where Hermione gripped Lily’s arm tightly. “Ready?” Lily asked.

At Hermione’s nod, with a twist and a loud crack the two disapparated into nothingness.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> I am so sorry I did not update last week. I have officially been laid off from my job and last Thursday was my last day. It's been a bit of a rough week trying to get on unemployment and just dealing with all of the emotions surrounding that. Good news though my sister is being induced on the 26th. I'm finally going to be an aunt!!! AND OTHER GOOD NEWS with me being laid off and basically nobody hiring, I will have plenty of time to continue writing. I hope everybody out there is doing well!

The two witches appeared at the apparition point in Hogsmeade, both wobbling a bit on the landing.

"Sorry," Lily cringed a little while checking Hermione over for any minor splinching. "I'm not the best at Side-Along yet. I can, I just don't normally have to."

Hermione's stomach was still rolling. She much preferred to apparate herself but she had promised James she would get Lily to Hogwarts today. She took a few deep breaths to calm her stomach before she opened her mouth again.

"It's alright. I would have apparated myself, but I haven't gotten my license yet," Hermione lied. She had her license back in 1997, but here, she was 16. She would, unfortunately, have to wait until her birthday in August. "Can you walk up to the castle with me? I could use the company, and I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would let you use his Floo."

"Why not," the redhead agreed. "It'll save me from having to go home for a little bit longer."

The young witches began the short trek to the castle in silence, both seemed to have gotten lost in their thoughts.

Lily decided to break the silence with what she hoped would be a safe topic. "What are you meeting with Professor Dumbledore for?"

"Mum and Dad are meeting me as well to discuss next school year, and so I can be Sorted. I really have no desire to be sorted in front of the entire school. I'm already going to stand out and I don't particularly care for the attention."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little, but I've faced much worse than this. Granted this will be the first time in a while that I've faced anything without my two best friends. We did everything together," Hermione commented quietly.

She had been in the 70s for a couple of months and was adjusting well. Anytime she began to think about Harry or Ron she would just remind herself that she would still know them, even though she wouldn't be their best friend anymore. She could make sure that they had the chance of having a real childhood: no adventures, at least of the life or death kind, no figuring out mysteries. Harry would grow up with a lot more confidence, hopefully, and Ron won't feel inferior being "The Chosen One's" best friend. But going to Hogwarts without the two of them? That would take some getting used to.

"Hermione?" Lily questioned, startling the younger witch out of her thoughts as they made their way through the gates of Hogwarts and across the grounds.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Got lost in my head for a moment. It's going to be odd attending school without them."

"I know starting at a new school isn't always easy. I remember my first Hogwarts Express ride. Not only was I starting a new school but I was entering a completely new world. Having a friend on the train made it easier though. I'm sure you're perfectly capable of finding your own way but I'd be more than happy to introduce you to a couple of my younger friends before term starts," Lily offered. "I think you and Mary would really hit it off."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"I should also warn you…" Lily trailed off, not wanting to tell Hermione what James did, but knowing she should.

"Yes?"

"Well, James recruited a friend of his to keep an eye out on you," Lily grimaced, waiting for the explosion. She had already figured Hermione to be exceedingly independent and assumed the younger witch would not be okay with her older brother recruiting others in his overprotection of her.

However, Hermione simply snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. Does that boy not know how to mind his own business?"

The ginger witch laughed "No, not really. Especially when it comes to family."

Hermione thought about Harry. "I was raised an only child, but I did have a friend who was practically a brother. Towards the end, we were all the other had, and we took care of each other, but he was never like James in that regard. If anything I was overprotective of him."

"Why was that? My experience with wizards is that they can be cavemen."

"He had a complicated situation. His parents died when he was a baby and the relatives who raised him didn't like him very much. He always felt as if it was his job to save everybody, so it sort of became my job to save him."

"Where is he now?" Lily asked after a moment, allowing Hermione to compose herself.

"I don't know to be honest," Hermione smiled sadly.

"Well, I hope one day you two are able to find each other again. I'd quite like to meet him."

At that Hermione couldn't help but smile, "I'm sure one day you will."

As the two witches made it to the Entrance Hall, they noticed a path of lilies leading into the Great Hall. Lily froze and stared at Hermione, a look of confusion on her face, while Hermione suppressed a small giggle and beamed at her future sister-in-law.

"Why don't you go see what that's all about? I think I can find my way to the Headmaster's office on my own." Hermione then left the slightly bewildered muggle-born witch to her slightly idiotic brother.

After watching Hermione walk away, Lily finally turned to face the Great Hall. She knew this was James's doing, and she had a feeling it was some kind of prank. Though she figured it wouldn't be too bad if his sister was involved. She didn't seem like the sort to tolerate the more extravagant pranks of the Marauders. Lily decided to not keep her idiot waiting any longer and walked into the Great Hall to find the one and only James Potter standing on top of the Gryffindor table.

"Hello love," James greeted his witch with a smile that looked like it was about to break his face. "Did you have a nice day with Hermione?"

"James, what are you doing here?" Lily chose to ignore his question.

She didn't think it was possible but he smiled even bigger. "Ah! You see my dearest Lily-flower, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking over the past few months, and I know you were not too pleased with my avoidance of you towards the end of the school year. And despite what I told you, that, for the most part, had nothing to do with my sister."

Lily narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend but he continued before she could say anything. "From the moment I laid eyes on you, I thought you were the most beautiful witch I had ever seen. Granted I was 11 and most of the witches I had met at that point consisted of family, but that is beside the point."

"I knew one day you would be Mrs. James Potter. In fact the first time I ever proposed to you was right here in the Great Hall, with me standing on top of the table, similar to how I am now. I believe your response was something along the lines of 'over my dead body' and 'never embarrass me like that ever again'." As James spoke, he slowly walked the length of the table, getting closer to his, hopefully, future bride.

Lily, who always had a comeback for James and could match wits with all the Marauders, for once was speechless as she watched her wizard walk towards her.

"So naturally, that meant I had to do it every year, and as often as possible. You are so very pretty when you're angry," James winked at her.

"Though I was originally captured by your beauty, your ability to outperform every single one of us in the classroom, your kind heart, your stubbornness, your willingness to forgive, your incredible ability to stand up for what you believe in with no fear, all of this and more is what made me truly fall in love with you."

"I can't imagine not spending my life with you, so I ask you, in the same place I first asked you," timed out perfectly, James was able to jump off the end of the table and complete the short walk to stand in front of Lily. He reached into his pocket, got down on one knee and asked, "Lily Jane Evans, will you marry me?"

For a moment Lily didn't speak, she had tears in her eyes and was worried her voice would break if she tried to say something at that moment so she did the only thing she could think of, she nodded yes. James's eyes immediately alight with happiness jumped up and scooped her up in his arms twirling her around while shouting for joy.

All Lily could do was laugh at her fiance's exuberance. "James! Put me down!"

He immediately complied, not wanting her to change her mind and wanting to get his ring on her finger, though she hardly noticed. She couldn't take her eyes of the man that she swore she would never end up with. "I love you. And thank you for not making a big spectacle of the proposal. It was perfect."

"Anything for you, love. I couldn't chance you saying no this time!" James joked. "Hermione did make me promise not to do it publicly."

"Honestly, I half expected the rest of your Marauders to come charging in here in some elaborate scheme."

James's eyes widened slightly, which did not go unnoticed by the witch, "Of course not, why would I do that? This is a moment for the two of us. Why don't we go and find my parents? They are supposed to be somewhere in the castle." He rushed out, trying to get Lily out of the Great Hall as quickly as possible.

"They are about thirty seconds away from storming in here aren't they?" Lily asked knowingly.

"Well…." James rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Before he could come up with any kind of answer, fireworks came zooming in from every door, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter were setting off sparks with their wands. A large banner appeared behind the couple declaring "Mr. and Mrs. Prongs forever", and James could only grin sheepishly at his new fiancee.

To her credit, Lily only glared at him for a moment before she grinned and jumped into his arms once more. "You wouldn't be James Potter if you didn't include some kind of fanfare."

"Is it safe to come in now?" Hermione's voice called from the doorway once the fireworks died down.

Lily, James, and the rest of the Marauders turned around to see the Potters, along with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall all looking exuberant at the scene in front of them. Well, the Potters and Dumbledore looked exuberant, Professor McGonagall had a slight upturn to her mouth indicating her happiness at the situation.

"Of course!" James shouted.

Hermione launched herself at her brother and soon to be sister and wrapped them both up in the biggest hug she could manage. With tears in her eyes, she whispered to them, "I am so happy for the both of you." After a few moments, she untangled herself from the couple and stepped back allowing the others to offer their congratulations as well.

Hermione was given a few moments to observe the scene and wondered if this is how it happened the first time around. She never knew how James originally proposed, she didn't know if Harry even knew, but that didn't matter. That future was gone, and she would make sure that Harry knew about this when the time came. She might be his aunt this time around but that didn't mean she wouldn't soak up every single memory she could to pass along.

It was time, she knew, to start making changes and to slowly expand her circle of those she trusted with her information. She had over two months in the past now to adjust and come to terms with her new reality.

From stories the older Sirius and Remus had told her, the war really started for them in 1979 but didn't pick up until 1980. If she had anything to say about it, the war would never even get that far. It would be a slow process, but she felt she had already begun to make small strides with her limited interactions with Regulus. She knew she could get him to trust her, and she would make sure he didn't stupidly sacrifice himself, not when there were other options.

Maybe her anxiousness to continue fighting came from the fact that she had been continuously fighting for almost a year or maybe it's because now that James and Lily were engaged, Harry would be here sooner than later, and she would not allow him to become the subject of a prophecy.

It didn't matter the reasoning behind why she felt it was time to make a move, all that mattered was that she would. And this time, with the Potters standing by her side, and, putting her reservations about the man aside, Professor Dumbledore, she knew they would succeed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Happy Thursday...I hope everybody had an enjoyable week and is holding up in quarantine. For those of you that are joining AO3 after reading on FanFiction.net this is the last chapter that was posted on there, so starting next week there will be brand new content! Get excited. I will also be posting The Unexpected Lady Potter on here soon as well. Thank you to everybody who has been following this story and are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.
> 
> Enjoy!

The small celebration didn't last very long as the Marauders had informed the rest of their friends, who were all waiting at The Three Broomsticks to celebrate with the former Head Boy and Girl. James tried to insist that Hermione accompany them so he could introduce her around as well, but she firmly declined, insisting she wanted to get her classes for next year sorted out first; though James did manage to extract a promise that if she didn't take too long she would join them.

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all headed out the front doors of the castle, while Professor McGonagall headed back to her quarters, leaving the Potters and Dumbledore alone.

"Shall we head to my office to discuss the particulars?" the Headmaster suggested.

The three Potters nodded in agreement and followed the older wizard through the castle for a more private setting.

After the four of them were settled, Hermione decided to set the tone of the meeting before Dumbledore was able to take control. She had relinquished the details of the previous years to her parents but refused to allow the Headmaster more fuel for any of his manipulations. While she knew he meant well, he was too focused on "the greater good" with very little concern for the pawns he felt he had to sacrifice.

"Before we start I want to make it very clear Headmaster," Hermione began, "I will not be working for you against You-Know-Who. We work together or my family and I will do this on our own."

Dumbledore took a minute to study the young witch. "Miss Potter, I promise you we have the same goals. The only way to bring down Voldemort is if we do work together. I and the Order don't work against you."

"You say that now, yet the Albus Dumbledore I knew made it very clear not to tell anybody the mission I was on. The Order did not work together, which in the end cost many lives." While not entirely true, Albus allowed Harry to tell herself and Ron, she wasn't ready to reveal anything about Harry or the prophecy. As far as she was concerned, she was going to stop this before the prophecy should even be made. She wasn't entirely sure when Sybil Trelawney met with the Headmaster but she believed it to be sometime in early 1980.

"May I ask what this mission I sent a child on is?" He inquired.

Hermione glanced at both her mother and father. They knew this wasn't easy for her. She didn't want to trust the headmaster, but despite all her bravado of going this alone she knew deep down, she didn't have a chance to succeed without the older wizard. Both elder Potters gave her a nod of encouragement to continue. "Professor, have you ever heard of a Horcrux?"

Albus Dumbledore paled. "How do you know about such things?" He whispered.

"I was searching for them. Almost all of them were destr ー"

"Them?" Hermione was interrupted by Dumbledore. "How man...how many did Tom make?"

"Six Horcruxes. A total of seven pieces of his soul."

"Dear Merlin!" Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, clearly horrified by how far his former student had fallen.

Hermione allowed the professor a moment to collect his thoughts. She was happy to have her parents there for support, she just hoped by having them know her story and about the Horcruxes she hadn't signed their death warrant. After a minute or two, the Headmaster sat up straight and leaned forward with his hands clasped together and a hard glint in his eyes, he stared at the three sitting in front of him. "What do we know now?

The young witch took a breath. She knew he would take this seriously, but she was glad to see his resolve to finish this. She didn't see a general ready to sacrifice his troops, she saw another soldier ready to fight alongside her. "As of now, I believe there are only four maybe five. One I am certain of its location, another a general idea, and the other two I know where they will end up but I am unsure of when they are placed. As for the fifth, I know where it will eventually be placed sometime next summer. If it has been made already and not within the next year, I have no idea where it would be hidden."

"And the sixth?"

"In my timeline, in about three years he disappears. His powers were broken and most people thought he was dead. Gone for good. About thirteen years after this he gains a new body and comes back to full strength, he doesn't make the sixth Horcrux until then." She refused to give him more than the bare minimum of information.

Dorea decided to jump in to prevent any questions she knew Hermione didn't want to answer. "How about we focus on the ones we do know of for now?"

"The good news is one of the Horcruxes is relatively easy to find. In fact, it's here in the castle. The bad news is we don't have a way to destroy it." She revealed.

"In the castle? Where in the world could he possibly have hidden it?" Charlus spoke for the first time since he entered the office. She hadn't told them exactly where or what the Horcruxes were but he couldn't quite believe the audacity of the dark wizard.

"He did it when he came to ask for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, didn't he?" Dumbledore inquired.

"That is what you believed yes. It's in a place called the Room of Requirement, however, it will most likely take a while to find. The room is quite...vast," Hermione admitted.

Dumbledore remained silent, clearly deep in thought. "I believe we need to be cautious in how we approach this." Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "We do not want to alert Voldemort to anything until we have to. I will begin to work on how to destroy the Horcruxes. Dorea, Charlus if you could join me on this? Discreetly of course. Hermione, until we know more find the Horcrux in the castle but leave it where it is. We will remove it once we have a way to get rid of it."

Hermione thought it over for a moment. "I will tell you I know basilisk venom and Fiendfyre can destroy Horcruxes. However, we don't have basilisk venom and I don't know anyone who is able to control Fiendfyre so if either of you can find another way, and I will do my best to locate it."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore declared as if they hadn't just been plotting the downfall of the darkest wizard in living memory. "There is one more thing we should discuss before the three of you depart: your seventh year."

Dorea decided to take the lead on this part of the conversation. She had learned over the weeks the two had gotten to know each other how much Hermione abhorred being the center of attention. "Albus, we were hoping Hermione would be able to either stay in her same house or be sorted now. There is no need to make a spectacle during the Welcoming Feast."

"Understandable, however, I do insist she use the Sorting Hat once more."

"Please," Hermione began, "Is that really necessary? I was sorted into Gryffindor. I'd much rather stay in the place I'm most comfortable."

"That is precisely why I believe you should be re-sorted. Sometimes I think we sort too soon. You may still be a Gryffindor, but my guess is you have changed immensely since your 11th birthday. Yes? The house of Godric may not be the best fit. Do you not want to make the most of the rest of your time here?" The Headmaster inquired.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. The Headmaster had a point, but who cared? Hermione Granger was a Gryffindor. She didn't belong in any other house and if she had to wear the stupid Hat again to prove it, she would play along. "Fine but I want to do this now. I agree with my mother. I don't want to create a spectacle in front of everybody."

"Of course my dear," Professor Dumbledore acquiesced. He stood to grab the patched Hat from the shelf behind his desk, walked around and deposited it on the curly-haired witch's head.

Well hello there. This is unusual. Normally I am only called on once a year.

Yes, yes. I'm a miracle I know. Can we please do this as quickly as possible? I've been sorted in Gryffindor once before, may I please just go there again? It's home.

Wait one second, I believe I decide where you go.

Of course, but I do know you take our choices into account. Yes?

On occasion, I have been persuaded however only when the individual in question would be a good fit for the house. You on the other hand. I see you have the qualities for the House of Godric. Your situation is unique. I have never Sorted a time traveler before. I can see you've fought bravely. Defending your loved ones, fighting for what is right.

Exactly I belong in Gryffindor.

I also see what you must do. In order to succeed, to achieve your goals, simple bravery alone will not do. You must be cunning and cautious.

No ...don't you dare say it. I am Hermione Granger. I belong in Gryffindor

I know what you desire but you are not just Hermione Granger, are you? Hermione Granger may have belonged in Gryffindor, but Hermione Potter? She follows in the footsteps of her mother. She belongs in ...SLYTHERIN!

After the last word was shouted, Hermione muttered, "Stupid hat," while she took it off and handed it back to the Headmaster, who was looking at her with curiosity. She turned to her parents to find her father looking slightly disappointed but had a smile on his face nonetheless, and her mother was absolutely beaming.

"Oh! Well done love. At least one of my children shares my house," Dorea celebrated.

While not her first choice, actually her absolute last choice, Hermione couldn't help but smile at how happy her mother was. "Let's just hope James feels the same way," she joked.

"Don't worry about your brother. He'll be fine, and if not I'll set Pippy on him," the Potter Matriarch said with a smirk, to which everybody in the room chuckled.

"Now that we have you Sorted," Albus interrupted the family moment, "Let's quickly finalize your classes and then the three of you should be on your way."

"Of course. I originally planned to take as many NEWTs as possible. Definitely Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Would that be possible?" the newest Slytherin student questioned.

"Are you sure you want to take that much, love?" Charlus asked. "That is quite the undertaking. I don't want you overwhelming yourself."

Hermione assured her parents and the Headmaster she would be okay with 7 NEWT classes, to which all three eventually agreed. After being assured he would arrange her schedule and send her book list in the next few days, the three Potters took their leave and headed towards Hogsmeade. The elder Potters planned to apparate home, while Hermione convinced her parents to allow her to head by herself to the Three Broomsticks.

After separating from her parents, Hermione thought about the first time she wore the Sorting Hat. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised, the Hat did briefly mention Slytherin but didn't seriously consider it due to her muggleborn status. She didn't know exactly how she was going to get through living in the dungeons and not the tower. So much had been taken from her. Her life, her path, had changed so drastically, she really wanted one small piece of the home she grew up in.

What would Harry and Ron think? Hermione Granger in Slytherin, but she guessed the hat was right. She isn't just Hermione Granger, she is Hermione Potter. She also didn't know how she would have handled going into the Gryffindor Common Room every day, half expecting to see her two best friends and forever being disappointed. The thought of the two of them still made her heart ache, a feeling she didn't expect to go away anytime soon if ever. Hermione hoped a new House would give her the distance needed so she wouldn't be overwhelmed with grief on a daily basis, besides being a Slytherin may give her more access to the people she needed to potentially get close to.

"You know a proper Pureblood witch, shouldn't be wandering alone."

Hermione, startled having been lost in thought, met the grey eyes of Regulus Black and he wasn't alone, accompanied by a familiar young man with dark auburn hair. "It's a good thing I'm not a proper Pureblood witch then isn't it?"

Regulus smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

"You seem to have forgotten I was raised by Muggles," she countered.

The young man accompanying the youngest Black scoffed in response to which Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Is there a problem?

Before he could formulate a response, Regulus jumped in. "Allow me to introduce you. Miss Potter, Rabastan Lestrange. Rabastan, this is Hermione Potter."

No! It couldn't be. This man couldn't be the same person she fought against. The same man who forced her into the past. She hadn't figured out how he knew the truth about her. Did this version of Rabastan Lestrange know where she came from? Did anyone else in his family? If he or any other Death Eater knew, her life was forfeit. Her family's lives were forfeit. She knew she would eventually be surrounded by Death Eaters, but she needed to be even more careful around this particular one.

"How do you do Mr. Lestrange," Hermione cordially responded with a nod of her head, unsure how to act around one of the men who would eventually torture the Longbottom's into insanity, but decided she would be better served by acting as if she knew nothing for the time being.

"You as well Miss Potter," the future (or current, as she didn't know when he was marked) Death Eater commented with a slight air of disdain, clearly uncomfortable around the Potter witch.

Hermione continued to observe the youngest Lestrange with timid curiosity, while he attempted to look anywhere but at the young witch. It was strange for her, seeing the same Death Eater who once tried to kill her and her friends at the end of her fifth year. Rabastan Lestrange never directly interacted with her until the Battle at Hogwarts, so it was slightly easier keeping up the facade around him, though not by much. She had no idea what she would do if she ever ran into Dolohov in this time, or Merlin forbid Bellatrix.

"Well now that introductions are made," Regulus broke the slightly awkward silence, "Why don't we accompany you to wherever you are headed? As I said, it's not proper for a witch of your station to wander around alone."

"Thank you but I'll be okay. I'm just meeting my brother and some of his friends at the Three Broomsticks," she protested.

Surprisingly, it was Rabastan who responded. "Please, we insist Miss Potter."

While Hermione knew it would be rude to outright refuse again, she did not feel completely comfortable spending any amount of time in the presence of any Lestrange. However, she didn't see a way to get out of the current situation. At the very least she knew how to defend herself if this walk managed to go south. She had managed to hold her own during the battle before she arrived in the past, she was sure she could handle a Rabastan Lestrange who didn't have the years of being a Death Eater under his belt.

"Alright. Thank you." Hermione eventually acquiesced.

"So Miss Potter," Regulus attempted to diffuse the awkward tension he did not quite understand. "What brings you to Hogsmeade today?"

"My parents and I met with the Headmaster to discuss my schedule, and so I could be Sorted before the start of the school year. I didn't want a big to-do in front of the whole school." Despite being semi-displeased with her Sorting, Hermione realized she would at least know one person in her House; whereas she wouldn't have known anybody in Gryffindor or any of the other Houses.

Rabastan responded rapidly with a sneer, "I assume you'll be a Gryffindor like the rest of your family."

Hermione glanced at the youngest Lestrange and narrowed her eyes. She never took well to the snotty attitude the Purebloods typically expressed. While she was used to it as a mudblood, she refused to tolerate it. "As a matter of fact, I'll be following in my mother's footsteps."

Regulus raised a single eyebrow, the only expression to show that he was shocked by this revelation. "You've been sorted into Slytherin?"

"Yes, I have. Mother is quite excited," she said with a small smile, knowing how much it really did mean to her mother.

"I believe congratulations are in order. Rabastan and I will make sure you feel most welcome come the start of the school year."

"Oh?" Hermione took another opportunity to glance at Rabastan. "You're still in school as well?"

The wizard caught her eye as he seemed to analyze her in a new light: the Slytherin Potter. "I am a seventh year as well. So it seems we will be seeing a bit more of each other."

Hermione simply nodded as she didn't know what to say. She did not want to be seeing more of him, but it would clearly be unavoidable. Luckily she realized they were finally approaching the pub.

"Thank you very much for the escort but I believe I will be okay from here."

Both wizards gave short bows at her request and bid her a good day.

Hermione turned to walk into The Three Broomsticks before she stopped and turned back. "Oh, Regulus!" She called.

The Black wizard turned around as well, "Yes?"

"I never did thank you for the book. It's been very informative." She smiled.

Regulus simply gave a short nod in acknowledgment before he followed his friend deeper into the small village.

Hermione shook her head not fully understanding what Regulus's motives were. Did he simply want to be friends? Or was it something else? She knew he defected from the Death Eaters eventually but from what Sirius told her in the past, or in the future, in her past. From what Sirius told her in her past Regulus did believe in the rhetoric Voldemort spewed. He joined the Death Eaters believing in the cause. She knew he had good in him, she just didn't know how deep down that good was at the current moment.

Whatever his reasons were, it was something she could worry about later. For now, she had a celebration to get to. Though she was going to make sure this time around Harry had his parents, that didn't mean she wasn't going to soak up every memory she could so one day, when her nephew asked, she would be able to tell him everything.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I apologize this is a day late BUT my sister had her baby!!!! I was a bit distracted and didn't even realize I didn't post until after midnight. I am so excited to have a niece (who they actually named after me so I am even more excited). She is as cute, perfect, and healthy as can be. 
> 
> 2) This chapter is a little bit shorter simply because this was a good place to stop. If I had continued on the chapter would have been way too long and I just don't think it would flow as well.
> 
> Thank you to everybody for the reviews and your patience with me posting. I have not gotten around to responding to the reviews yet but I will over the next few days. I hope you enjoy this update!

Hermione walked into the Three Broomsticks to a cacophony of voices and looked around to see if she could spot anybody that she knew.

“Hermione!” James shouted across the pub as soon as he saw her. He had clearly been keeping an eye on the door, waiting for her to arrive.

As she made her way over to the large group celebrating her brother and future sister-in-law, she noticed the abundance of shot glasses on the tables around them and good-naturedly rolled her eyes. Clearly they had all been enjoying themselves, though they definitely all deserved it. She knew too soon these types of celebrations would be few and far between. “I see you all have been having a good time,” she smirked at her brother.

“Of course! And you should be too! You’re getting a sister and we need to celebrate the newest lion at Hogwarts. Another round of firewhiskey!” James shouted.

Hermione cringed slightly. “Just a Butterbeer for me, and actually I’m not in Gryffindor.” She didn’t want to tell him just yet, especially so publicly but she couldn’t lie to him.

The few people around them paying attention to the brother and sister, including Lily, Sirius, and a redhead she didn’t recognize, fell silent. James stared at his sister, “You’re not a Gryffindor?” He questioned as if he couldn’t wrap his mind around the concept.

Hermione giggled at the confused look on his face. “You do know there are 3 other houses at Hogwarts right?”

“Of course, but you’re a Potter and Potter’s always go to Gryffindor.” James tried to reason.

She rolled her eyes at this. She really was tired of the issues with the houses. “Yes and he is a Black,” she commented pointing at Sirius, “and all Blacks go to Slytherin. Except when they don’t.”

Sirius laughed and threw his arm around Hermione’s shoulders. “She’s got a point Prongs. So tell us then. What house are you? My bet is Ravenclaw. I can see you as an Eagle.”

“Actually,” Hermione began, still a little nervous to tell them, but maybe eventually she will be able to tell them the truth. She was a Gryffindor, her experiences just changed her. Maybe the fact that she was both a Gryffindor and Slytherin would help to convince them that Hogwarts house doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things. “I’m in mum’s house. I’m a Slytherin.”

Silence. At least for a moment before Lily pulled Hermione from Sirius and into a hug. “Congratulations! That’s wonderful. I’m sure your mum is pleased.”  
“Very pleased. She’s glad to have passed on her legacy to one of her children,” Hermione responded as the two separated. Lily went to stand next to her fiance and discreetly elbowed him in the side.

“Ow,” James glared at the witch, “What was that for?” To which his fiancee responded by silently gesturing towards his sister.

“Right, er...congratulations. Slytherin is lucky to have you.” James sheepishly said to his sister. “I was just looking forward to you and I sharing the same house.”

Hermione threw herself at her brother and hugged him, to which he instantly returned. “I know, but it wasn’t meant to be, and it makes Mum incredibly happy.”

The Potter heir finally smiled and chuckled. “Yes, I am sure it does. Alright...well, Slytherin House is lucky to have you. To our newest little snake,” and he cheered her Butterbeer with his shot of Firewhiskey that had finally been delivered. “Even though you won’t be sharing a common room with them, there are a couple of people here who I want to introduce you to,” gesturing to the unfamiliar redhead who was downing his own shot of Firewhiskey. “This is Fabian Prewett. He’s in his seventh year as well, and taking my place as Quidditch Captain.”

“Nice to meet you,” Fabian smiled at her and held out his hand.

Momentarily stunned at meeting Mrs. Weasley’s brother, Hermione quickly pulled herself together and went to shake his hand. Instead, Fabian swiftly turned her hand over and placed a quick kiss to the back. “Nice to meet you as well,” she managed to say, even more, stunned by the old-world gesture. She probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Prewetts and Potters were a part of Pureblood society, even if they did not prescribe to the idea of Pureblood superiority.

“So you’re a snake, huh?” Fabian asked. “Don’t worry I won’t hold that against you too much.” He winked at her with a laugh.

Shaking her head, Hermione grinned. “I guess I should thank you then for your kindness,” she quickly responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Fabian smiled. “Seriously, if you need anything while at Hogwarts, please do not hesitate to ask. I promised James here I would keep an eye on you.” He elbowed her big brother.

“Is that so?” Hermione narrowed her eyes at James.

James had the good nature to blush a little. “I just want to make sure you’re taken care of when I’m not around.”

“I will have you know I can take care of myself, James Potter,” she addressed her brother before turning back to Fabian, “But I appreciate the offer and I will keep that in mind.”

Lily sighed. “I told you she wouldn’t like you keeping tabs on her like that. It’s your own fault,” she chastised the messy-haired Marauder. “Come on, Hermione. I’ll introduce you to my friend Mary. She’s in her seventh year as well, and a lot more tolerable than these buffoons.”

“Oi!” All three buffoons shouted as Lily linked arms with Hermione and dragged her away from her brother and his friends.

Laughing at Lily’s description of Fabian and the Marauders, Hermione thanked her.

“Of course. I know how they can be, and as I said earlier I knew you weren’t going to take it well, but thank you for not being too harsh with James. He means well.” Lily explained to the curly-haired witch before shouting, “Mary!” while waving to get a tall, brunette’s attention, who just happened to be speaking to Remus, Peter, and a couple of others Hermione did not recognize.

Said girl turned around looking to where she heard her name before excusing herself from the conversation. “Lily! Congratulations,” she exclaimed, pulling the smaller girl into a tight hug.

“Thank you,” she smiled, glancing down at her ring again, as she had been doing every few minutes since James put it on her. “I honestly couldn’t be happier. Especially since the whole family was here to celebrate. I actually wanted to introduce you to James’s sister. This is Hermione. Hermione, this is Mary Macdonald.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Hermione,” Mary greeted. “Lily has told me a bit about you. Are you excited to go to Hogwarts in a few weeks?”

“Very much so. It will be nice to have a quiet year...hopefully,” she laughed. She doubted she would ever have a quiet year at Hogwarts, but honestly, she wasn’t sure she would know what to do with herself if she did.

“Well without your brother and his friends, I can almost guarantee it,” Mary joked.

Hermione smiled. “I’ve heard the stories, so I’m sure you’re right. What classes are you taking next year? I hope I’ll know at least one or two people in my classes.

“Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Have you already spoken with Professor Dumbledore to know what you will be taking?” Mary inquired.

Nodding, Hermione responded, “Yes, my parents and I were up there earlier. Right after James proposed. We were able to discuss my classes and get my sorting out of the way.”

“Fantastic! Are you a Gryffindor as well then?”

“No, actually I’m in Slytherin, but from what I understand we should still be in the same classes since NEWTs tend to be smaller. I’m taking all of the same classes as you as well as Arithmancy and Ancient Runes,” she informed the taller girl.

Lily saw the look on Mary’s face and quickly jumped in before Mary had to respond. “Mrs. Potter was a Slytherin as well. Hermione said she was over the moon about it.”

“She really was,” Hermione agreed.

Clearly attempting to redirect the conversation away from house loyalties, Lily pushed on. “I know you said earlier today that you can handle 7 NEWT classes, but please write if you need help with anything. I could always meet you on a Hogsmeade weekend to go over anything you need.”

Mary agreed, “I’d love to study with you as well. I’m not sure how different the courses here are compared to your old school but if you would like a study partner I’m in the market for a new one, seeing as mine up and graduated.” She nudged Lily with her shoulder laughing.

“Thank you, I may take you up on that. I could never get my friends at my old school to willingly study with me,” Hermione said, as she remembered all the times she would ask Harry and Ron to come to the library with her and how they would refuse almost every single time.

The three witches continued speaking for the next few hours about NEWTs, careers, and what Lily was thinking about for the wedding. Apparently James wanted to simply go to the Ministry of Magic in the next week or so, however, Lily quickly squashed that idea as she wanted all of their families and friends present for the occasion. After some time, James came over to whisk his bride to be away saying he had another surprise for her, which Hermione knew to be the cottage in Godric’s Hollow.

“Hermione,” James began, knowing what he was about to say might not go over well with his sister. “I know you can take care of yourself but if you don’t want to go home right now, please stay with Sirius and let him take you home. It’s late and I don’t want you out alone.”

Hermione had a feeling this was coming, and she knew she had to pick and choose her battles. Not to mention this was not an unreasonable request. She wouldn’t wander around by herself this late anyway. “I promise. Though I think I am ready to go home if Sirius is willing to take me now.” She looked at the aforementioned wizard in silent question.

“Absolutely,” Sirius immediately agreed. He had planned on staying out and seeing if one of the lovely witches at the party would be interested in an after-party, but he knew taking care of Hermione was a priority so he gave in without a fuss.

After saying good-bye to the few people there she knew and waited for Sirius, James, and Lily to say good-bye to everybody else, the four left the pub to head to the apparition point where she hugged both James and Lily before gripping Sirius’s arm tightly, and the two disappeared into the night.


End file.
